Goal Assessment: Game 33 - Pens 2 Flyers 1 (OT)

Link for Game 33 Thoughts:  The PensNation



+/- Assessment

1st Goal Against (Giroux): - for

• Martin – in the penalty box for a retaliatory slashing penalty
• (no one else – bad bounce off of Glass, who had his stick in the right spot)

1st Goal For (Crosby): + for

• Bennett – keeps puck in the zone, eventually passes up to Martin
• Neal – gives Crosby an opening and then feeds the puck to back down to Bennett
• Martin – takes the pass from Bennett and sets up Crosby
• Crosby – passes the puck to Neal and then gets into a shooting position, one-times Martin’s pass to tie the game

2nd Goal For (Kennedy): + for

• Niskanen – feeds Kennedy from the point
• Kennedy – recovered his own rebound, passed it to Niskanen, moved into open space, ripped a shot past Bryzgalov for the winner

Season +/-:  Click here for the Season +/- Spreadsheet

Game 24 - Penguins 5 Flyers 4: Goal Assessment

Get the post-game thoughts here:  The PensNation

+/- Assessment:

1st Goal Against (Voracek): - for

• Neal – in the penalty box for elbowing (a soft call, but he still put himself in position for it unnecessarily)
• Martin – had no clue Voracek was sliding down from his point position
• Orpik – didn’t adjust to Simmonds going down low, leaving Martin to cover Simmonds and the back side

1st Goal For (Kunitz): + for

• Crosby – steals the puck at the blue line from Couturier and passes it to Letang
• Letang – puts the puck into the slot/crease area
• Kunitz – picks up the puck in front and scores

2nd Goal Against (Rinaldo): - for

• Niskanen – not back into the play yet after serving an interference penalty
• Crosby – doesn’t go out to the point after the faceoff (miscommunication with Kunitz)
• Kunitz – doesn’t go out to the point after the faceoff (miscommunication with Crosby)
• Engelland – leans on Rinaldo, but releases when the puck gets to the net

3rd Goal Against (Timonen): - for

• Engelland – stops abruptly in front of Fleury, creating a screen instead of following the puck out to Timonen
• (also Fleury’s fault, he should have had it)

4th Goal Against (Voracek): - for

• Neal – in the penalty box for slashing
• No One Else – there were 3 bad bounces that worked against the Pens in about 4 seconds

2nd Goal For (Dupius): + for

• Kunitz – keeps the puck in on the first clearing attempt
• Orpik – gets the puck at the blue line and fires it to the net
• Crosby – takes the puck behind the net and gives Dupuis a perfect saucer pass
• Dupuis – scores on a wide open net

3rd Goal For (Neal): + for

• Bennett – takes the puck away from Simmonds in the offensive zone
• Malkin – draws Coburn’s attention on the crease and pulls him further away from Neal
• Neal – puts the puck towards the net and it banks in off of Coburn

4th Goal For (Kennedy): + for

• Sutter – dumps puck in, tries to put it on net, and provides a screen in front of Bryzgalov
• Cooke – keeps the puck in with a forecheck and then sets up Kennedy
• Kennedy – keeps the puck in with a forecheck and then finds open space to one-time Cooke’s pass into the net

5th Goal For (Kunitz): + for

• Dupuis – takes the puck away from Timonen at the defensive blue line, chips it up to Kunitz
• Crosby – sets up Kunitz for the goal
• Kunitz – passes the puck to Crosby and then gets into a shooting position to score the game winner

Season +/-:  Click here for the Season +/- Spreadsheet

Losing Like It's April 2012, Flyers Defeat Pens 6-5

Sorry for the delay on the recap – had to wait until the replay on NHL Network this afternoon to assess the goals.

Main Storylines:

• Tomas Vokoun gets the start in net after Fleury won 3 straight (2.01 GAA, .932 save %)
• Jeffrey, Boychuk, and Despres are the scratches for the 2nd straight game

Result:

Flyers 6  Pens 5

Goals:  Niskanen (2) from Letang

            Malkin (4) (PP) from Martin, Neal

            Kennedy (2) from Martin, Orpik

            Neal (12) (PP) from Malkin, Crosby

            Sutter (4) from Martin, Cooke    

ESPN Recap: http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442708

Stats:

• Sidney Crosby went 21 for 28 in faceoffs.  Malkin was 7 for 10 and Vitale was 5 for 6 .
• Special teams skewed TOI a lot – Crosby (27:00 with 7:32 on PP), Cooke (18:46 with 5:56 SH), Adams (7:35 with 4:06 SH)
• More TOI – Vitale (6:19), Kennedy (7:48), Glass (6:37), Engelland (9:00), Bortuzzo (8:59), Bennett (8:03)
• Brooks Orpik led the team with 5 blocks (team total was only 9)
• Brandon Sutter and Evgeni Malkin led the team with 5 shots each (Crosby next with 4)

The Good:

Hope Sutter enjoyed this moment that lasted half a second.

• Brandon Sutter:  It could have been a defining moment and defining game for Sutter.  He followed the game plan perfectly, stopped with the puck behind Bryzgalov’s net, and wrapped it around to tie the game at 5 late in the 3rd period.  However, the sour result of a loss just a minute later will forever tarnish Sutter’s moment.  Even without the goal, he played well all night and was well-positioned in both ends.
• Pascal Dupuis:  Duper caught my attention with his poise and maturity more than anything against the Flyers.  He generally played well but looked like a saint compared to the rest of both teams.  At two different points, Dupuis took cross-checks to the back into the boards.  They could have been called boarding or cross-checking and no one would have blinked (but they weren't).  Both times, Dupuis got himself back up, got back into the play, and went on with his business.  No talking, no looking to the ref, no retaliation – he just continued to do his job.  Even if no one followed it, he put on a great display of leadership by example.

Noteworthy:

Geno shouldn't have been near Couturier as this happened.

• Tyler Kennedy:  It was nice to see TK put a puck in the net, but that was the only thing that kept him from being a section or two lower.  After demonstrating some improvement in puck management in the previous two games, Kennedy was a turnover machine in the neutral zone (3 giveaways in 2 shifts at one point).  He only played 7:48 (less than Bennett) and has been called out by the organization a couple of times now.  Kennedy needs to play smarter asap if he thinks his career will continue in Pittsburgh.
• Evgeni Malkin:  Geno improved on faceoffs, dealt with the Flyers well for MOST of the game, and added a nice PP goal.  However, he also had multiple giveaways on the PP (one leading to a shorthanded breakaway), and got into that ugly mess with Sean Couturier.  The one thing that frustrates me more than anything about Geno is his inability to skate away. I understand he was getting hit during the play, I’ll even accept the retaliation during the play, but he has to learn to skate away from players after the whistle.  There is nothing to gain by lingering with players who generally get in your head already, especially for a superstar.
• Matt Niskanen:  Niskanen had shifts ranging from perfect to abysmal much like the rest of the team. His goal was a perfect shot from the point and he generally did a good job of stepping up in the defensive end.  His transition game left a lot to be desired though as he had a couple blatant giveaways and tried to take the body at the wrong times against Flyers forwards.  The 5th goal against was completely on him with a bad decision to step up in the neutral zone, a poor play on the puck, and a bad bounce for the goal.
• Consol Atmosphere:  Consol was a madhouse in the 1st and 3rd and dead silent in the 2nd period.  It was generally a very impressive crowd for the building; the atmosphere was playoff-like at important times.  That being said, it’s very clear that what happens on the ice determines how loud the crowd is going to be.  Be it the fans, arena, or whatever other sources you can think of, the crowd does not feed off of itself, it feeds off of gameplay.  Had that been a gut-wrenching, entertaining 1-0 victory, it probably would have been a quiet night.

The Bad:

• Deryk Engelland:  Engelland only played 9 minutes and wasn’t at fault for any goals against, so why is he in this section? - Because his focus was horrible. Engelland looked frequently distracted by the Flyers grit guys and put himself out of position a few times chasing after them.  He let himself get goaded into a penalty by Rinaldo, and was lucky he didn’t get called for another one when he retaliated after Bortuzzo was boarded.  If he wants to be a tough guy and fight, that’s fine, but it needs to start and end there.  I was very glad he only played 9 minutes.
• 4th Line:  The 4th line struggled to get the puck out of the defensive zone a few times, got stuck on that mess of a 1st goal by the Flyers, and didn’t add much to the game in their limited time.  Most games, the Pens 4th line will outplay any other team’s 4th line (and 3rd line).  This wasn’t one of those games.
• Officiating:  The officials seemed to alternate between calling a very tight game and letting everything go, leading to no consistency on the ice.  Honestly, I think both teams got screwed out of calls (Neal was high-sticked twice, Niskanen deserved an interference call, Engelland deserved a roughing call, etc.)  The one that hurt the worst on the scoreboard was the Adams elbowing call at the end of the 2nd period though (which wasn’t an elbow, just a horrible call).  It was also interesting how patient these refs were with whistling plays dead.  Give credit to the Flyers for playing until the whistle, but I imagine many officiating crews would have blown at least one of the eventual goals dead just for losing sight of the puck.

The Ugly:

Errrr, what?

• Tomas Vokoun:  I mentioned it during the day and unfortunately the result didn’t help.  I did not understand why Vokoun was starting this game when Fleury came in with fantastic numbers as of late.  Going back to last week, I fully expected Vokoun to start Fri @ Wpg, Fleury vs. Buf on Sun, and Fleury again vs. Philly before getting Vokoun back in vs Florida.  Vokoun just had an awful game as I assessed 2 of the 6 goals against as completely on him.  He will bounce back fine, but it was certainly a questionable decision to begin with and I'm sure he's taking the loss harder than any of us are.
• “Composure”:  Someone needs to teach the Penguins’ most valuable players how valuable they are.  There were 4 instances when the Pens and Flyers both had guys sent to the box at the same time.  1st: Cooke and Voracek. That’s a win for Pittsburgh for 2 minutes.  2nd: Glass-Simmonds fight, another win for the Pens for 5 minutes.  3rd: Letang-Rinaldo, huge win for the Flyers for 2 minutes.  4th:  Couturier-Malkin, huge win for the Flyers for 2 minutes, PLUS a powerplay as Malkin took an extra 2.  The Penguins’ stars need to learn to skate away and sometimes let their role players do the dirty work for them.  Lack of composure leads to some awful tradeoffs on the ice (not even including most powerplays and penalty kills) and it’s clearly something the Penguins didn’t learn from last April.
• Puck Decisions:  This was a problem right off the start even though it didn’t cost the Penguins until later.  In the first two shifts of the game, Crosby, Malkin, and Neal all turned the puck over in the offensive zone.  Crosby especially had problems with forcing passes (think of that wasted 2 on 1) and the team as a whole was too careless with the puck.  As soon as the Penguins lose focus, this is where the mistakes pop up and it’s usually very costly.
• First Goal Against:  After about 12 replays of the first goal against, I was still shocked that no one blew a whistle for losing sight of the puck.  However, that’s at the refs discretion so it’s nothing to complain about.  I fully expected Letang to get penalized for covering his hand on the puck (leading to a penalty shot), but the Flyers scored on the play anyways.  Looking through the replays, the only player that didn’t make himself useless in some way was Glass.  I was also less than impressed with how Vokoun stood up looking back at the crease before trying to get back into it.  Dive in Tomas, you have pads and can obstruct everyone’s view the best.

+/- Assessment:

Crosby runs huddles better than Roethlisberger.

• 1st GF (Niskanen): + for Letang (pinches in to keep puck), Sutter (screen in front), Bennett (screen in front), Niskanen (point shot, goal)
• 2nd GF (Malkin): + for Neal (digs for puck in the corner, throws it to the point), Martin (takes wideshot that bounces off boards), Malkin (goal)
• 1st GA (Grossmann): - for Letang (loses Couturier out of the corner), Niskanen (loses a step on Knuble going to the crease), Adams (doesn’t get stick on Talbot), Vitale (does nothing in the whole scrum)
• 2nd GA (Simmonds): - for Dupuis (doesn’t support Martin on clear), Crosby (out of position trying to leave zone early), Martin (overcompensates on coverage of Briere), Orpik (goal goes in off his stick)
• 3rd GA (Voracek): - for Adams (penalty, bad call but still in the box), Orpik (unaware/not covering his area where Voracek is)
• 4th GA (Voracek): - for no one, whole sequence caused by Vokoun’s indecision with the puck, players scramble/cover as best as can be expected
• 3rd GF (Kennedy): + for Crosby (gives TK outlet down low, banks puck up to Martin at point), Orpik (pass to Martin), Martin (shot to the front of the net), Kennedy (corrals puck and scores)
• 5th GA (Simmonds): - for Niskanen (bad step up in neutral zone, has puck go in off of his stick as he tries to recover)
• 4th GF (Neal): + for Crosby (puck retrieval, pass to Malkin), Malkin (pass to Neal), Neal (one-timer goal)
• 5th GF (Sutter): + for Cooke (helps with faceoff win), Martin (sends puck down to Sutter), Sutter (wraparound goal)
• 6th GA (Voracek): - for no one, completely on Vokoun not covering the post as everyone had their guy covered well
• Season +/-:  Click here for the Season +/- Spreadsheet
• **In an effort to make this a more valuable statistic, I’m going to work in TOI in the next couple games for the season totals**

Thoughts:

When he's not passing to the other team,
Crosby is a quiet hockey genius.

• Use of Bennett:  Bennett only played 8:03 in the game and while I won’t rail on Bylsma for keeping him on the bench in a chaotic game, I do think it was a mistake.  Bennett has impressed me with his hockey sense and awareness through his NHL stint so far.  He’s very smart without the puck and clearly knows what to do with the puck.  His puck handling hasn’t come up to speed at the NHL game yet, but I’ll take a player who can handle himself positionally and defensively any day.  The way the Pens were turning the puck over and getting out of position, he may have had a nice calming effect.  I think we will see his first big NHL moment very soon.  As for playing him on the 3rd line…get TK off that line and put Jeffrey on there and then I’m okay with it.  I would love to see him on the 2nd line wing, but he looks comfortable and good on the 3rd line so no complaints yet.  I would rather see him start like this than watch him get 3 games on the 2nd line and then thrown into Bylsma’s doghouse for not keeping up.
• Despres Scratched:  I’ve made it clear I think Despres should be in the lineup over Engelland and I’ve seen nothing to discourage me from that.  He has a higher ceiling, and while he is certainly inconsistent, his average play gives more to this team both offensively and defensively than Engelland does.  Also, sitting Despres for multiple games at a time could turn into a huge mismanagement or waste of a prospect.  I’d rather send him down than have him sitting in the press box.  That being said, Engelland is the 7th best defenseman on this roster to me.
• Observations:  Two little observations that I thought were cool/interesting during the game:  1) When Crosby broke his stick on the powerplay, he made a little nifty decision on how to get a new stick that affected the breakout and setup.  Instead of making a beeline straight to the bench, he skated back to the center of the defensive zone, turned towards the bench and picked up speed as he grabbed a stick that was held out.  It allowed him to take his place on the left side and jump into the rush at full speed without taking up anyone’s open ice.  Just a little thing that Crosby does right.  2) The 2nd line got caught for 2 icings in a row on a long shift in the 2nd period.  Here’s how they bought rest: First Engelland went to the bench with an “injury” to his face that the linesman allowed.  It slowed the teams lining up and also got a new man out there (Orpik).  Orpik went to the center (Cooke) and winger (Malkin) to say something, which bought more time.  Once he lined up, Cooke got himself kicked out of the draw because that was the point of him lining up at center.  Finally, Malkin wins the faceoff with the extra rest and puts it directly to Vokoun so he can cover it for a line change.  It was all just beautifully done.

Pens Record: 11-6-0, 22 pts

Next Game:  2/22 vs Fla, 7pm

Game 1: Pens Outlast Flyers, 3-1

Main Storylines:

• The Pens and Flyers open up the season with their 8^th straight meeting against each other, including an ugly quarterfinals matchup that the Flyers won in 6 games through awful goaltending, special teams, and penalties.
• Eric Tangradi starts on the 2^nd line, Simon Despres starts on the 3^rd defensive pairing.  Scratches: Vitale, Bortuzzo, Lovejoy.

Result:

Pens 3  Flyers 1

Goals:  Kennedy (1) (PP) from Martin, Niskanen

            Neal (1) from Malkin

            Kunitz (1) (PP) from Martin

ESPN Recap:  http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442475

Milestones & Stats:

• Marc-Andre Fleury earned his 227^th win, moving him into first place in franchise history for wins
• James Neal had 10 attempted shots (7 on net), twice as many as anyone else
• Martin and Orpik led the team in blocked shots (3 each)
• Cooke led with 7 hits

The Good:

First goal celebration of the season...wait, what?

• Powerplay: went 2 for 3 including an empty netter.  Just as importantly, they didn’t give up any major shorthanded chances and the new look powerplay was competent though they didn’t capitalize on the new setup.  As everyone gets up to speed, the new setup looks very promising.
• Penalty Kill: Tanner Glass and Brandon Sutter had fantastic debuts on the penalty kill, both using very active sticks at the points.  Craig Adams was also solid with a few shot blocks and a save at the goal line.
• Paul Martin:  Give him credit; that was the best game he has played in a very long time and he was probably the best overall defenseman. He kept guys to the outside, had a couple solid poke checks, and added 2 assists to top it off.  If you’re going to rail on him for Giroux deking past him, please youtube how many defensemen Giroux has deked past.
• Marc-Andre Fleury: Aside from setting the franchise record in wins, Fleury made 26 saves on 27 shots in a very solid effort.  The only goal against was on a defensive lapse that couldn’t really be blamed on Fleury.  He showed strong positioning, and though his puck-handling was scary as usual, he got the job done.

The Bad:

"I'll get better, I promise"

• Simon Despres: Despres had a very slow start to the game and continued to look lost on the ice like he did in the scrimmage.  His 2^nd period improved dramatically as he got used to the pace, but his play eroded through the 3^rd period again.  I still question his quickness and anticipation at the NHL level right now.  Those deficiencies caused him to take a penalty as well.
• Pascal Dupuis: Dupuis had an uncharacteristically bad defensive game, committing multiple turnovers in the first 2 periods and getting out of position in the defensive zone.  To his credit, he had a much better 3^rd period and was a big key on the PK late in the game.
• Dustin Jeffrey: In a somewhat surprising move, Jeffrey was given the 4^th line spot over Vitale but he didn’t do much to try and keep it.  He took a penalty and flat out passed the puck to a Flyers forward in the defensive zone to draw the ire of everyone.

The Ugly:

• Eric Tangradi: Tangradi started off with a strong first shift with a legit forecheck before fading into nothing.  He tried to add some physicality to the game, but was rotated off and on the 2^nd line as he was ineffective in every role he tried.  Tangradi simply looked too slow for the 2^nd line but lost when placed on the 4^th line.

MY Plusses &Minuses:

• Plus/Minus is generally seen as a useful but also overrated stat because of how it is calculated.  Specifically, players can make the best play possible and still end up with a minus, or they could be on the ice for 1 second and get a plus for doing nothing.  I’m going to try and calculate my own +/- stat for the season and see how it compares.  For each goal, every player at fault for a goal against gets a minus and every player that helped on a goal scored gets a plus.  I will include PP and PK goals as well since this is just a fun experiment anyways. 

• 1^st goal (Kennedy): + for Sutter, Niskanen, Martin, Kennedy
• 2^nd goal (Neal): + for Malkin, Neal
• 1^st goal against (Giroux): - for Orpik, Kunitz
• 3^rd goal (Kunitz): + for Martin, Kunitz
• Overall:  Martin +2, Sutter +1, Niskanen +1, Kennedy +1, Malkin +1, Neal +1, Orpik -1

Thoughts:

Fleury has the flexibility for this, will Vokoun?

• Though the penalty kill was a successful 5 for 5, there was an issue with clearing guys from in front of the crease.  Orpik rarely engaged Simmonds into a physical battle in front and the Pens will need to do a better job of clearing the crease to keep the Rangers from scoring on Vokoun using screens in Game 2.
• One of the things that popped out across the whole team was each guy on every line is at a different pace for speed and conditioning right now.  It will probably be a couple weeks before we see each line gel completely as players catch up to each other.
• Normally, I would say give Tangradi 2 weeks before giving up on him.  With the shortened season, I say 1 week.  If he hasn’t added anything to the team by next weekend, I’d like to see Jeffrey and Vitale in over Tangradi.
• For Sunday’s game against NYR, Vokoun starts, and Vitale comes into the lineup for Jeffrey.  It’s time to actually see what Vokoun can give the team and how he can play with this defense in front of him.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly concerned with the Rangers coming off of a 3-1 opening night loss.

Pens Record: 1-0-0, 2 pts

Next Game:  1/20 @ NYR, 7pm

Offseason Podcast #6 - Nash Moves, Weber Stays

We finally have some hockey transactions to talk about!  Adam (@PolishHMR) and I (@HockeyMeesh) discuss the Shea Weber offer sheet and resolution, the Rick Nash trade, and a plethora of other signings that occurred over the past week.  Adam also treats you to a French lesson/joke while I update you on a former Penguin who is now 31 years old and playing in Europe (hint: he came to the Pens in a "blockbuster" trade in the early 00's).

Feel free to subscribe on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/crosbyftw/id542573263) or listen below. Thanks for listening and we highly encourage feedback (suggestions, questions, comments, topics, etc.)!!!

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Pens End Their Season with a Whimper and Elimination

Quick Notes:

- Well, now you understand why I hated #PensIn7 so much.

- I’ll just recap the game here.  Series recap on Monday probably.  Season Eulogy shortly thereafter.  Eventually an offseason outlook.  However, I will be shifting more to Kings coverage at thehockeywriters.com too.

Result:

Flyers  5  Pens  1

Goals:  Malkin (3) (PP), unassisted

               

Interesting Stats:

- The Flyers blocked 40 shots.  That right there is a commitment to team defense and doing everything to win a game.  The Pens had that back in 2009.  They had nothing near that in this series.  It’s an attitude and a mindset; it has nothing to do with talent.

- Sidney Crosby and Brooks Orpik, arguably the 2 biggest leaders on this team, came up with a -3 each in this game.

- Kris Letang played almost 32 minutes in this game, including over 13 minutes in the 3^rd period.  He did not play those 32 minutes well.

The Good:

- Some players were good in spurts: Malkin at times, Neal, Staal, but no one was good enough throughout the game to get into this slot.

He showed more effort, but the Flyers D definitely won the battle.

The Bad:

- Well, Pens season is over, and it’s not because they weren’t the more talented team.  The Pens lost this series because the Flyers showed more focus, more preparation, and more discipline than the Pens.  That is simply unacceptable from top to bottom in the organization, and it is a VERY important lesson to a team of young stars that clearly thought they could win through anything, even a lack of work and willpower.  It is a lesson that they should have learned without this defeat though.

- Bylsma clicked the panic button almost immediately after the Flyers scored, pairing Malkin and Crosby together and changing up the lines constantly.  It was a pretty good sign right then that he didn’t know what to do and the Flyers were going to win this game.  The strength of having 3 amazing centers is that you have to force 3 different lines to play against them.  Pairing Crosby and Malkin together and then putting Staal on the 2^nd line hurt Bylsma’s depth at forward by his own doing.  Also, taking apart the team’s hottest line (Cooke-Staal-Kennedy) was a bad idea to begin with after the series they had.

This team realized their destiny quickly.

Steve Sullivan – I have praised Sullivan all series for his great effort and work ethic, but he didn’t show up in a big way today.  He gave up the puck to Giroux that led to the Flyers’ first goal 32 seconds into the game.  He also committed multiple turnovers at the blue line on the powerplay and made no impact in the offensive zone.  In a series where the average play was turnovers and disappointment from the Penguins, Sullivan reverted to the mean in Game 6.

Kris Letang – I have no clue what is going on with Kris Letang, but I hope he takes the offseason to relax and get back to normal.  He had trouble keeping pucks in at the points and his shot choices were flat out terrible.  I can recall at least 5 times where Letang shot it directly into the shins of a Flyers defender.  He also lost a foot race to Max Talbot, which is very unexpected for Letang’s skating skills.  Letang never really came through in this series as the Penguins needed him.

Sidney Crosby – Sidney?  Captain?  Where are you?  Crosby was quiet all game after getting rocked by Giroux on the very first shift.  He often looked tentative and lacked the grit he usually plays with.  I felt this was the worst game of his series and it looked like his least passionate.  Now I know Crosby cares and I’m sure he tried, but he went quiet at the wrong time for his team.  Captains can’t afford to do that.

Giroux was the clear cut winner in this battle.

The Ugly:

- The reffing was, well, inconsistent as usual, but the Pens put themselves in bad situations on their own. A Caps blog had a perfect bullet point for all your reffing qualms: “Everyone seems to want to talk about the refs rather than the hockey in this series, so this bullet is reserved for complaints about the officiating. Please choose one answer from each bracketed section and you'll have some fine boxed whine. "The [a) call; b) non-call] against [a) my team; b) their team] when [insert player name] committed [insert infraction] was [a) unconscionable; b) proof that Gary Bettman has a conspiracy against my team; c) responsible for all of the problems in Africa]. Until the NHL can get some refs that are [a) good; b) consistent; c) Vulcans], the league will always be relegated to [a) niche; b) garage; c) bush; d) Mickey Mouse] league status."”
(Credit to: Rob Parker on Jasper’s Rink: http://www.japersrink.com/2012/4/22/2967119/recap-bruins-4-capitals-3-overtime)

- Reffing aside, it was another game of bad penalties.  Cooke’s interference was simply stupid as he put himself in a bad position on the blue line where Kunitz had gotten called earlier in the series.  The Flyers scored on the ensuing PP to make it a 2-0 lead, which apparently was insurmountable today.  Niskanen also took a stupid slashing penalty late in the game, and honestly could have gotten a few more with the way he was whacking people.  The discipline and hockey IQ on this team were not impressive through this series

Marc-Andre Fleury – I am frequently the one defending Fleury, but this Game 6 reminded me so much of Game 7 vs. Montreal 2 years ago.  The first goal was a tough shot, but savable for a goalie of Fleury’s caliber who can come up with big saves.  He then had a couple of weak goals from pucks bouncing around the crease area and also a horrible shot from the blue line that he let in.  Yeah, the shot was deflected by Michalek’s stick, but it was so far out that Fleury is capable of reacting to it in time.  The defense may not have helped him, but he didn’t help himself either.

This picture...well it says a lot. 

Thoughts:

- I can simply say, I expected a stronger, harder, and more furious start from the Pens, but they didn’t play with any urgency until it was too late.

- I was amazed that Neal a) forearmed Jagr in the back of the head at the end of the 1^st period and b) got away with it.  Shining example of players not learning anything from a 1 game suspension.  I expect better conduct out of him.

- The Pens wasted a wonderful opportunity by displaying an amazing amount of immaturity early in the series.  The problem with going down 3-0 is that, no matter how talented you are, you need 4 perfect games to move on.  The Pens had 2 wonderful games, but stringing together 4 was asking for too much.  This playoff team simply did not act like the team that put up 50+ wins in the regular season, but I’ll cover that more in the series recap and season recaps later this week.

- Also, give the Flyers a lot of credit in many facets. Laviolette coached brilliantly, Giroux showed up to play his best in the biggest game of the series, and their powerplay made a joke of the Pens penalty kill.  They outplayed the Pens, no matter how much we all hate it.  They earned the right to move on.  It’s on the Penguins for not earning that right themselves.

Pens season is over.

Flyers win the series 4-2 and move on to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

Home Ice Advantage Isn't a Myth, Pens Win Game 5

Quick Notes:

- I think it’s hilarious that the most popular hashtags lately are PensIn7 and RememberTheIgloo.  If the Pens took that attitude, they would be out by now; it’s gotta be one game at a time - no looking ahead.  Also, the Pens couldn’t win a cup in the igloo and had some difficulty there aside from 2008 and 2009, but that’s what we push?  I realize they are just in fun, I just find them amusing for different reasons.

- Five games, Five times the team that scored first lost the game.  Who’s excited for the inevitable 0-0 game going to OT as neither team wants to score?

- #PensInGame6 now.

Result:

Pens  3  Flyers  2

Goals:  Sullivan (2) (PP) from Letang, Neal

            Staal (6) from Kennedy, Letang

            Kennedy (3) from Cooke, Staal

TK's been working on his vertical.

               

Interesting Stats:

- Crosby went a staggering 16 for 22 in the faceoff circle.  Despite this, Jordan Staal took the last 2 faceoffs of the game in the D zone against Giroux.  I have no clue what Bylsma was thinking on that (Staal lost both faceoffs).

- The Flyers haven’t scored a 5 on 5 goal since midway through Game 3.  The Pens should perhaps adjust to that and keep it 5 on 5 a little more.

The Good:

- Start with the easy one yet again, PENS SEASON ISN’T OVER!!!  Half way to a series win, but still a ways to go.

- This was finally a playoff type game with a playoff atmosphere in the arena.  Both teams were much better in terms of fundamentals and pace which made a huge difference in overall gameplay, as reflected in the score.

Marc-Andre Fleury – You had to assume Fleury would need to steal at least a game for the Pens to comeback in this series and he certainly put in his work in this one.  The last 3 PKs that the Pens dealt with were full of beautiful saves by Fleury.  He looked strong all game, proving that the end of Game 4 wasn’t just a fluke because of the score.  Two biggest changes in his game compared to the start of the series: 1) He challenged shooters much more and was at the top of his crease for most shots, cutting down the angles completely and 2) he allowed his athletic ability and reaction time do the work rather than overthinking and overplaying pucks.  His confidence will only go up after that game, so that is a great sign for the Pens.

What are the odds Staal is yelling "WOO!"?

Jordan Staal (with Cooke and Kennedy) – Staal put together another wonderful game, scoring on his only shot and making an impact on almost every shift he took.  Staal and the rest of the 3^rd line were by far the most successful group when it came to stretching the ice and powering through the neutral zone.  They gave the Flyers’ defensemen fits deep in the zone, which is what led to TK’s goal as all 5 Flyers dropped down to Staal and Cooke on the crease.  This line is in 2009 Cup Finals form, where they became the huge difference makers for the Pens.

Steve Sullivan – Sullivan only played 11:52 in this game, and less than 8 minutes were at even strength, but I was very impressed yet again with his defensive zone coverage when he was on the ice.  He is leading by example with just how badly he wants this playoff run to continue and how hard the team needs to work to keep it going.  His goal was of course a nice touch as he continues to help the powerplay click, but his general awareness of what is going on around him on the ice is what impresses me the most about his game right now.

Sullivan looks so tiny in Neal's arms.

Other notable performances: Despres, Niskanen, and Michalek played very very well, especially with Michalek on the PK.  It was nice to see Kunitz go a game without taking a horrendous penalty.  Dupuis had another great game in the defensive zone.

The Bad:

- The Pens REALLY need to eliminate the stupid/unnecessary/pointless penalties they are taking.  Engelland got called for a roughing penalty, mostly because he gave Briere an extra unnecessary shove down while Briere was already going down.  Malkin’s penalty on Schenn was after the play and absolutely needless.  The team knows that penalties will be called tight, so they need to adapt for how poorly the PK is playing.  Some claim Schenn dove, but in my opinion, it’s pretty hard to dive sideways when your skates are perpendicular to where you are being hit from.  He was off-balance, so it looked worse, but that was hardly a dive.  Finally, TK took an awful retaliation penalty as he broke his stick on a slash.  The team needs to show more discipline to survive right now.

Hitting? okay.  Driving him into the ice?  Probably a penalty.

Kris Letang – Letang did have 2 assists and has looked pretty good in the offensive zone, but his defensive zone coverage and especially his puck movement has been off.  His pass up to Staal was simply brilliant to set Staal on a 2 on 1 which he scored on.  For that one play though, Letang countered it with at least 3 or 4 turnovers and bad plays in his own zone.  Letang is smarter and better than he is playing right now; we’re all just waiting to see it.

Evgeni Malkin – Malkin simply played one of his worst games of the series and the season.  He took 2 completely unnecessary penalties and had an astounding 5 giveaways.  To put that into perspective, most box scores have players with at most 2 or 3 giveaways.  I already discussed how the Schenn hit was needless; his second penalty was after he lost the puck and interfered with Couturier.  Everything Malkin did in Game 4 he did not follow up on in Game 5.  He went back to selfish puck possession and trying to skate through 2 or 3 guys.  He needs to give the puck up more to earn more space from the Flyers D if he wants to keep playing this style.  The stupid penalties just have to stop.  Also, it'd be awesome if he didn't steamroll Crosby, whoops.  More on Malkin later as well.

The Ugly:

- The penalty kill needs to stop leaning on Fleury completely to survive.  He was brilliant at the end of the game, which was necessary because the PK was pretty much useless.  The first goal that the PK allowed was because of nice Dupuis screen which had Fleury leaning the wrong way.  The second one came during a 5 on 3, where Orpik was essentially caught on a 2 on 1 at the crease and the Flyers made some nice plays to score there.  The Pens still look a little too passive on the PK (5 on 3 aside) and really need to start challenging the points as hard as the Flyers have done to the Pens PP.  No matter how bad anyone is playing, this kill rate is pathetic.  This is all with the PK actually improving in this game to stopping 3 out of 5 instead of the usual 2 out of 5.   

Help this man!!!

Thoughts:

- Don’t expect the lineup to change at all.  Bylsma will stick to what’s working as long as it works, he hates changing his lineups during winning streaks.  So it’s pretty safe to say 7 D, Tangradi still in (and he has earned it) for Game 6.

- Both goalies played much better in Game 5, but Bryzgalov can still be beaten more than he was in Game 5.  He looked very shaky with his rebounds and the Pens didn’t test him as much going side to side in this game.  I was rather disappointed with the low shot total for the Pens, the need to attack Bryz harder with his rebound control as shaky as it is right now.

- The reffing was inconsistent as usual.  But my problem with it was actually how the Flyers were screwed over.  Brooks Orpik held JVR for a solid 20 seconds late in the 3^rd period in front of the net, and then knocked him over from behind.  Easily could have been one, if not 2 penalties.  When JVR was knocked over, he ended up hitting Letang in front of him and people clamored that Letang showed great restraint.  Letang showed great restraint?  JVR should have attacked everyone for the abuse he took on that play.  I have no clue how Orpik got away without being called for all kinds of penalties on that shift.

Orpik was getting away with murder on the crease all night.

- Though the Malkin hit on Couturier was clean, the Flyers are still quite upset about his elbow on Grossmann and many people started talking about Malkin’s track record.  If you have been reading these posts, you probably know my thoughts, if not, check out Game 2’s recap.  Malkin isn’t the cleanest player by a longshot, he is very sneaky about getting hits in and tends to do a lot behind the play.  He’s a brilliant player, but he’s very emotional and that’s going to catch up with him eventually.  I think it’s safe to say that the league will be watching for it right now, so he needs to be careful moving forward and tone it down a bit.  He’s probably overdue for supplemental discipline already.

- That brings me to the Torres suspension.  25 games is quite a bit, but I honestly don’t care about this suspension one way or another.  The key will be how the next 2-3 suspensions turn out.  If the next few are 1 game apiece, then players won’t learn anything.  The NHL’s inconsistencies in this department make the next few rulings incredibly important in regards to taking them seriously.

- Finally, so glad that Hartnell scored and we didn’t lose – making me both right from my last game recap and happy that it didn’t hurt us.

Keep quiet...

Keys to Game 6:

- Fleury is looking sharp, so the team simply has to help him out by taking fewer stupid penalties and strengthening up the PK.  It’s time for the special teams to actually take over a game on both sides because it’s damn tough to win a series while losing the special teams battle.  The PK MUST pull its weight to survive Game 6 in Philly.

Flyers lead series 3-2.  Next Game: 4/22 @ Phi, 12pm, NBC

Sweep Averted, Work to be Done as Pens Win 10-3

Quick Notes:

- I just created a facebook page for this site and other random hockey stuff if that’s more your style: https://www.facebook.com/CrosbyFTW

- Okay, not to burst everyone’s bubbles, but that was not a statement game; that was just 1 win.  If that was a statement game, then the Flyers have already made 3, so they are leading the statement game battle, 3-1.  One game at a time…but let’s move on to the happiness!!!

- Finally, this is the weirdest effing playoff series I’ve ever seen in any sport.

a) props to Pens fan there. b) lol @ porky pig sign.

Result:

Pens  10  Flyers 3

Goals:  Malkin (1) from Dupuis, Park

            Niskanen (1) (PP) from Crosby, Sullivan

            Crosby (3) from Niskanen, Malkin

            Staal (3) from Tangradi, Cooke

            Letang (1) (PP) from Crosby, Sullivan

            Staal (4) (PP) from Kennedy, Cooke

            Sullivan (1) (PP) from Fleury

            Dupuis (2) from Kunitz

            Staal (5) from Engelland

            Malkin (2) from Kunitz, Kennedy

               

Interesting Stats:

- 45 goals through the 1^st 4 games of a series is a new NHL record

- The 10 goals scored tonight set a new road playoff record and ties the overall playoff record for Pittsburgh

- Matt Cooke finally accumulated his first PIMs of the series, getting 2 for high-sticking, 2 for holding the stick, and then a 10 minute misconduct for being attacked (?)

How dare you get cross-checked 3 times!? Go to the locker room!

- Joe Vitale played only 7 minutes despite only 11 forwards dressing.  Meanwhile, Jordan Staal led the forwards with 23 minutes.  Anyone spreading rumors of him being unhappy with his role should probably go reconsider their line of work (more on that at the end).

The Good:

- Let’s start with the easy one, PENS SEASON ISN’T OVER!!! With their backs against the wall, the Pens came out with a very dominant win after a shaky start.  Their reward: another must-win on Friday.

- The powerplay came to play in this one and it was very clear that adjustments had been made with the 2 days off.  The Pens moved the puck quicker on the PP in this game than I have seen them try all season.  That was huge because the Flyers PK is one of the more aggressive units in the league, and their players could not shift fast enough to catch a big break or go the other way unhampered.  Also, for much of the PP, Crosby went back to his natural position on the half boards / rover.  This is no slight to Geno, but with Crosby scoring and Geno cold going into the game, I’m glad the adjustment was made.  It seems to have worked for both.  Finally with the PP: Niskanen was a stud on the point both in puck control and making quick decisions.  No complaints about the unit as a whole in this one.

- Malkin finally got on the board with 2 goals (and also an assist).  His first goal was pure will as he stormed to the net from the penalty box, gave the puck up to Dupuis and went to the net to pick up the rebound and score.  His second goal was also because he went to the net without the puck.  This is a big difference from the first 3 games where he wanted full control of the puck crossing the blue line every time.  The Flyers D clearly was not ready for it and stayed tight on him at the blue line, giving other players plenty of room with the puck and Malkin a chance to burst past clueless defensemen.  Great adjustment by Geno.

- The team finally provided support to players who were beaten by the Flyers puck carriers.  In the first 3 games, if one of the Pens was beaten on a play, there was no support and no chance of help.  In this game, there was always a second and sometimes a third man ready to shift into position.  The Pens played as a team tonight rather than as 18 talented individuals.

Puck support to the max.

Jordan Staal – Have to start with Staal, who backed up a very mature Game 3 with an explosive Game 4.  He scored his 1^st career postseason hat trick, on 3 shots.  He also led the forwards in ice time with almost 23 minutes, 2^nd on the team to Letang.  Another big part of his game was in the faceoff circle where he went 15 for 23 (66%).  He pretty much played a strong all-around game and made every shift count with every different set of linemates.  Everyone looks to Geno and Sid, but after his attitude in Game 3 and afterwards, plus his Game 4 performance, we may be watching Staal mature into that 3^rd franchise center and leader right now.

Steve Sullivan – Having Sullivan on the point for the powerplay clearly makes a world of difference for the team.  His poise and passing ability works great from the point as he (cliché) QB’s the first powerplay line.  His goal was a giant middle finger to the Flyers too, since they clearly did not respect his speed or slapshot which he just blasted past Bobrovsky.  All of this aside, I have Sullivan here for what he did defensively though.  On the PP, he made sure he stayed back and didn’t get caught in the offensive zone in a situation he couldn’t recover from.  At even strength, he was frequently the first forward back and was always there to cover the 3^rd Flyers forward coming in.  He showed great attention to detail in making sure every Flyer was covered, and that’s exactly what the Pens needed.

I'll be honest, didn't think Sulli could shoot like that.

Pascal Dupuis – Sullivan was only outshined by one forward in the defensive zone and that was Dupuis.  While Dupuis did add a goal and an assist on the scoresheet, I made many notes of the amount of times he covered a forward on Fleury’s crease or hustled back to cover the slot.  His defensive positioning was perfect all game and it was a big boost to the Pens defense and Fleury. He also tipped away at least 3 cross-ice passes in the defensive zone, doing a great job of keeping his stick in passing lanes.  While the defense has been crapped on all series, note that these forwards have a significant ability to make a difference in the defensive end. 

Commitment to defense, check.

The Bad:

- The refereeing performance was just ridiculous at times.  They started by calling every little detail, to the point that things that were almost a penalty actually became a penalty.  They then shifted to calling just regular penalties.  Then they let players play a little bit.  Then once the game was clearly out of hand, they went back to overreacting (though probably best for the sake of both teams).  It would be nice to see a full 60 minutes called the same way for the sake of, I don’t know, consistency?

- I know people are clamoring about Fleury’s play and the defense, but I’m still not sold on either one yet.  Fleury only faced 25 shots, about half of which were during the 1^st period when he did not look good.  The 1^st goal was partially his fault as he was scrambling and left his 5-hole open.  The second goal was all on him as it was a shot from the point that beat him 5-hole. Most of his shots after that were when the game was getting lopsided and as a goalie, it’s much easier to act confident when you have a big cushion to work with.  That being said, he did make some nice saves down the stretch, so the key will be if he can bring that confidence to the start of Game 5.  As for the defense, they received a lot of forward help and also benefitted greatly from having 7 defensemen in the lineup.  Everyone looked fresh throughout the game, though I personally believe the forwards (their forechecking and backchecking) are the reason that the Flyers only got 25 shots and pretty much rolled over by the end.  Let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic about the D right now.

Kris Letang – Per usual, people will likely kill me for this, but Letang is off of his defensive game.  I counted 3 blatant giveaways from him in the defensive zone and his positioning wasn’t the best.  On the first Flyers goal, he followed Engelland into his opposite side corner unnecessarily, which left Giroux alone to beat Fleury for the 1^st goal on the PP.  He needs to be much smarter than that on the PK when defending the crease is imperative.  He did score on the PP, but honestly I discount that as a weak goal on Bryzgalov, who did not slide into his position with any sort of speed and was pulled immediately after.  Letang is not playing to Norris trophy form right now, and we all know he is capable of it, so it would be nice to see it when the games are do or die.

Stay in position and this won't happen, Kris.

Chris Kunitz – Kunitz is on here simply because he continues to take idiotic penalties every game.  Maybe the Flyers bought the interference call on him, but even if they did, he knew the game was being called tight and he put himself into that position to be called for it by skating into a player he could have easily avoided.  With the PK being absolutely horrendous, he needs to stop doing this immediately.  It was a big momentum shifter in Game 3 and he should have learned his lesson then.

The Ugly:

- If nothing else, you can say the penalty killing unit is consistent.  They entered the game killing just 4 out of 10 penalties, and then killed only 2 out of 5 in this one.  The 2^nd goal was on Fleury, but the 1^st and 3^rd ones were definitely on the penalty killers.  Both defensemen were out of position for the 1^st one.  The 3^rd one was the same Voracek play that I have complained about in every recap since Game 1.  Voracek is always looking for the puck from the backside and does not leave that area, but no one even looks at him as they all watch the puck.  This is inexcusable on so many levels since it has happened numerous times now.  The Pens apparently cannot take a penalty or their PK will inevitably finish their season off on their own.

Thoughts:

- So the sweep has been averted, but as we all know, only 3 teams have come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.  The 2010 Flyers are amongst that small group.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing for them though?  On one hand, they are aware it’s possible, so they will be vigilant in keeping the Pens from doing it.  On the other, they are aware it’s possible, so they know that the Pens are capable of it and it plants a seed of doubt in their head.  Which is it?  I’ll tell you in a week.

- Expect Bryzgalov to start on Friday unless he has re-injured his foot.  He looked very slow to pick up the play last night and had difficulties controlling rebounds.  His side to side was slow as well.  I’m not sure if his foot injury would cause anything but the 3^rd one, but the Flyers certainly lost their Ace in the hole when Bobrovsky came in and got lit up for 5 goals still.  The goaltending battle has now turned into a war of attrition and a contest to see who can make just one or 2 big saves in a game.

Bryzgalov played his best this year when he wasn't talking the media.
Whoops.

- It will be interesting to see if the Pens go with 7 defensemen again on Friday.  As of now, Despres is still with the team and practicing today, but it’s also an optional skate.  Unlike everyone with pitch forks and torches, I have no problem putting Martin back into the lineup.  The whole D has been bad, not just him, so there is no point in blaming him for more than his share.  Personally, I’d love to see him in the lineup but only getting about 12-13 minutes of ice time.  Note, I’d sit Strait, not Despres.  Despres is a wonderful defenseman fundamentally and I see no point to ever sending him down again personally.

- Neal and Adams will be eligible to play in Game 5, so what does that mean for the lineup?  The PP operated fine without Neal, which is a lineup question in itself.  Neal obviously re-enters the lineup, but at whose expense?  Strait to even up the lines?  Tangradi, Vitale, or Park?  Vitale only played 7 minutes, easily the least on the team, so I would not be surprised to see him get scratched and Neal to step in with 7 defensemen still in place.  Bylsma loves to stick with what’s working, so 11 forwards might be his calling card.  Also, I would expect Adams to come back in for Park to sure up the PK…not that it has made any difference all series anyways.

One of the more unique box scores I've looked through.

- One caveat to Game 5: Hartnell has yet to make an impact on this series.  Look for him to go crazy on Friday, whether it be scoring on the Pens or physically attacking them and giving the Pens PPs.  He is the Flyer to watch on Friday.  Also, James Van Riemsdyk is a near lock to return to the lineup, giving the Flyers another skilled forward to work with.  The D will have its hands full.

- Finally, a note on Twitter, Re: Staal trade rumors.  Before you go crazy and start spreading rumors you hear or react to what people are suggesting, consider the original source and what they actually said.  No one ever said Staal is unhappy in his current role; I dare you to find that original quote.  The reporter’s quote was that “Staal would be unhappy (if kept in his current role).”  WOULD BE.  Meaning it’s speculation, and hypothetical, which is a proper analysis but has absolutely no bearing on this team right now or how Staal feels right now.  The simple nuances of a sentence can vastly change the meaning, so take the time to look into it before losing your mind.

Would Staal hold TK like he was the king of the world if
Jordan didn't want to be here?

Keys to Game 5:

- DEFENSE AND PENALTY KILL.  Also, ADJUSTMENTS.  The defense still needs to be sharper and keep their heads on a swivel, and this needs to extend to the penalty kill in the worst way.  Expect Laviolette to come back to Pittsburgh making some major adjustments against the Pens style, and Bylsma needs to be ready to adjust on the fly for it.  Fleury is still going to have to steal a game at some point in this series.  My gut feeling is that Friday is going to be that game as the Flyers want to crush any momentum the Pens can possibly build.

And remember...one game at a time.  Focus on game 5.

Flyers lead series 3-1.  Next Game: 4/20 vs Phi, 7:30pm, Root Sports / NBCSports

PS - Podcast Discussing Game 4 and Previewing Game 5 will be up tonight