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

Demoralized, but not done. Pens drop Game 2.

Quick Notes:

- The recap style I tried for Game 1 doesn’t work when there are 13 goals scored and no form of defense or opposition. (I’m a defenseman by nature and I am offended and irritated by that 8-5 ridiculousness)

- If you read my last recap (and I hope you did: http://crosbyftw.blogspot.com/2012/04/start-strong-relax-blow-lead-repeat.html), you saw that I called out the line matchups as not making sense in Game 1.  Well, they still didn’t make sense, and it worries me that I can call it out but Bylsma didn’t bother changing it.  He knows far more about hockey than me and is far more qualified than I am to do anything, so how does he miss it or why does he ignore what he sees?  More on this below…

Stop handicapping yourself, Disco. 

- Lastly, I hope you listen to the podcasts I’m trying to come out with!  Give them a shot, and feedback is encouraged!  The first 2 are in the previous post.  Thanks as always for reading and listening!

Result:

Flyers 8  Pens  5

Goals:  Crosby (2) from Sullivan, Dupuis

            Kunitz (1) (PP) from Neal, Malkin

            Martin (1) from Crosby, Dupuis

            Kunitz (2) (PP) from Neal, Malkin

            Kennedy (2) from Cooke, Staal

Interesting Stats:

- Craig Adams had 5 hits and a takeaway in 10 shifts over 8 minutes

- Kunitz was a -5, Malkin -4, Neal -4, Sullivan -3

- Letang and Neal lead attempted shots with 6.  Letang only got 2 on net, Neal had 5.

The Good:

- The Pens did a great job sending a message physically with some huge hits by Neal, Letang, Adams and others.  Their playoff intensity was there at least.

If only physicality meant wins.

- Well, an offensive output of 5 goals is solid, and 2 of them on the powerplay erased the offensive PP questions that everyone had from Game 1.  Bylsma took Sid off the 1^st PP line and Neal-Kunitz-Malkin combined for 2 PP goals.  They looked much more comfortable at times…

- The 1^st period was yet again, a great period top to bottom.  The Pens were up 3-1 by the end of it and had yet again survived a Laviolette timeout. 

- Best 3: Dupuis, Kennedy, Adams.  Great game by all 3, Duper was somehow a +2 in this debacle with 2 assists.  Kennedy scored a weak goal admittedly, but he was solid all over the ice.  Adams was crushing people all game despite limited time.

"Woah buddy, pull it back a little"

The Bad:

- Of course, another 2 goal lead was blown as the Penguins continue to get destroyed defensively.  This team does not know how to drop into a strong/aggressive defense stance when they are in the lead.  They only know how to either attack at full speed or how to be completely passive.  Their inability to transition between the two stances is giving Philly a lot of leeway to adjust to the Pens’ style and then attack in different ways.

Malkin/Neal/Kunitz – The +/-‘s say a lot on their own about how this line played.  They are doing a great job hitting, but the puck possession for this line has been dismal.  Their 2 goals together were on the powerplay; at even strength they are being fully dominated by the Flyers’ checking line.  The reason this line was so successful in the regular season was 1) natural talent, and 2) their ability to work with the puck in the offensive zone, wearing down the D with their size, and sneak into open areas.  They are generally losing even puck battles and the guys away from the puck don’t seem to be working towards open ice to provide passing outlets.  It’s not like we’ve seen these 3 missing on great chances, they are simply just trying to do too much on their own looking for a spark.

Lovejoy/Engelland – Lovejoy will obviously get called out right off the bat for his turnover to Couturier in the slot that led to an easy goal against Fleury.  That isn’t all though, this pairing was also on for a breakaway that began at the Flyers blue line but luckily Fleury saved.  Engelland had a very poor game in my opinion as I counted at least 5 missed hits where he slammed into the boards but did not touch the guy he was aiming for, pulling him out of position.  This pairing has low expectations to begin with, all we ask is they not make mistakes…they failed.

Rest of the Defense – The defense simply looks like they do not communicate with each other at all.  On the Couturier goal with 3 seconds left in the 2^nd period, THREE guys were covering Eric Wellwood in front and no one paid attention to Couturier on the back door.  Not only is that clearly a vast misuse of resources and failure in coverages, but how is Fleury expected to see a puck clearly through 3 of his own guys.  This isn’t rocket science, if the team is looking around then they will realize that at least 2 guys are uncovered in that situation.  Just like I harped on in my last recap, heads on a swivel!  Every defenseman hears that phrase a billion times growing up, I’d like to see the Pens act like they know what it means.

Ike Taylor would have had this covered.

The Ugly:

- The powerplay, defensively.  Two short-handed goals…are you kidding me?  The first one was a mess, Crosby turned it over at the point on the powerplay and Giroux went in on a semi-breakaway with Sullivan chasing him.  Fleury stopped the breakaway but the rebound went to Talbot who buried it into a basically empty net.  Two issues:  1) Sullivan was the guy following Giroux, Crosby had no business still chasing Giroux and should have been watching Talbot, horrible defensive awareness by Sid.  2) Where were the other 3 guys on the ice?  Martin was the only defenseman on that line, but he and the other 2 forwards were doing anything but hustling back to the play.  No one bothered to chase Talbot at all.  Lack of effort there is inexcusable in a vital playoff game, everyone should have put their heads down and skated as hard as possible.  For the second short-handed goal, Letang, Malkin, and Sullivan were back to cover 3 Flyers.  No one knew who to cover and it turned into 3 Penguins back covering no one.  Lack of communication, lack of awareness, I’m not sure what to call it.  But the coaching staff should be concerned when 3 players who are defensively capable don’t know what to do in that situation.

- The penalty kill had another dismal performance, allowing 1 powerplay goal on 2 chances.  They were acting very passively and again seemed unaware of their surroundings at times.  The Flyers had Voracek circling to the left of the faceoff circle by himself just like where he was at for the OT winner in Game 1.  The Pens simply ignored him for most of the powerplay (the whole team did this all night for some reason actually) and when the Flyers finally gave him the puck, no one knew how to react.  He had time and space to move towards the crease, draw everyone in, and flick the puck back to Giroux for an easy PP goal.  The Pens made the Flyers PP good on that chance by giving them all the time and space to work with in the world.

Fleury shouldn't have to act as a defenseman and a goalie.

- Normally I would say hindsight is 20/20 for line matchups, but seeing how I was questioning it in Game 1, it’s really inexcusable that line matchups were a problem in Game 2 when the Pens get last change.  Couturier’s line owned Malkin’s all night, but Bylsma kept putting Malkin out there against him.  My seats are behind the Flyers bench, so I tend to pay more attention to this than most, but Laviolette had his way with matchups.  He predicted what Bylsma wanted to do and placed the line he wanted out first.  Bylsma then did not adjust to it. By the 3^rd period, I was hitting at over 80% for picking the lines that were coming out.  Even before the game, I was a fan of how Couturier played.  Talbot said he looked like Staal in his rookie year, and I tend to agree, actually I think that’s undercutting him.  Couturier has Staal’s ability plus he is far more physical than Staal was his rookie year.  Bylsma did a massive disservice to his season long MVP in game 2 (don’t worry, I don’t absolve Malkin, that’s below).

Thoughts:

- The goaltenders have been solid.  It sounds ridiculous, but it is very true, these results should be much worse for both teams but Fleury and Bryzgalov have made some huge saves at times.  With that being said, Bryz is outplaying Fleury.  He has made bigger saves and has improved as the game goes on.  None of this is necessarily Fleury’s fault, but the Pens are going to need him to make some absolute steals if they want to stay in this series.  Bryzgalov did it twice, once to Letang on the backside, once to Sullivan alone in front.  Fleury does stop some breakaways, but the Pens need more sadly.

Bryz has had to bail the D out just like Fleury.

- Bylsma, Granato, and Reirden are being outcoached, very badly.  I mentioned the line matchups earlier, but the powerplay and penalty kills clearly don’t know what they are doing either right now.  Laviolette and his crew just appears to be one step ahead in all facets.  Not to mention, Laviolette seems to be okay allowing his team to play the Pens style until Pittsburgh makes enough mistakes that the Flyers take advantage and take the lead. The game last night was run and gun, the Pens style dictated as the Flyers kept playing catch up.  Once the Flyers took over, they went into lockdown mode and played strong playoff hockey.  The Flyers are letting the Pens screw up their own game before forcing what they want and it is working masterfully.  That being said, I am not calling for Bylsma’s head or anything crazy like that.  I am just saying Laviolette is doing a better job.

- How much of a difference do you think Talbot is making by the way?  There is literally no better scouting report in existence than what he knows about the Pens, their style and their coaching staff.  Years ago, people said the Flyers signed Chris Pronger so they could beat the Penguins and neutralize Crosby.  It didn't work.  GM Paul Holmgren may have done it right with a second chance by signing Talbot over to neutralize everything.

I don't hate you and I won't boo you, so please stop.

- I’m prefacing this with I’m not throwing Malkin under the bus, but if he’s the best player in the NHL, he needs to adjust.  He will definitely see a lot of Couturier’s line in Game 3 and clearly the 1^st 2 games haven’t gone well.  I would like to see him pushing the puck and finessing less.  Malkin needs to start crossing the blue line, pulling up, and firing the puck.  It will give him space and make the Flyers question how much they should press on him.  He starts doing that, and everything will fall into place better as they start giving him room to work with.  He’s capable of changing this series; he just needs to adjust quickly to do it.  His coaching staff should be helping him with this too, by the way.

- Another note on Malkin, and this is one that if I was Laviolette, I would have flipped out on (probably moreso after a loss).  I counted (by the way, every time I say I counted, it’s because I literally keep a tally on things on the notepad app on my phone while I’m at games), 4 penalties that Geno got away with.  Two slashes, a trip, and a hook, so not necessarily judgmental penalties either.  This isn’t a slight against Malkin, I just want to point out how the refs are calling the game.  So don’t go complaining if they don’t call something against the Flyers, they are giving the Pens plenty of leeway as well.

- Despite how ugly everything looks right now, this series is far from over.  All it takes is one game to change a series around (go back to 2000 when the Pens went up 2-0 against the Flyers on the road and came home to lose Game 3 in OT, and then Game 4 in 5OT and then Games 5 and 6).  If anyone can predict the future of this series, you would have predicted the 2-0 deficit for the Pens right now.  Absolutely no one did that.  So just keep faith and watch Game 3, see what happens.  It’s a best of 7, crazy things are possible.

- Finally, while I want to burn Consol to the ground right now, home ice disadvantage isn’t unique to the Pens, Consol, or us as fans.  So everyone stop harping on fans for it.  Aside from potentially the Pho-Chi and NJ-Fla series’, home ice has already been rendered a moot point in every other series.  It just simply isn’t what it used to be now that everyone has made cookie-cutter arenas.  I tend to hate the crowd at Consol as much as most, but it has nothing to do with them unless every other home crowd sucks too.

Let's build a new arena with white seats for these whiteouts. 

Keys to Game 3:

- I want to see a defensive start, not an offensive one.  Forget pushing the tempo and just play solid, opportunistic defense.  Let the Flyers make their mistakes and capitalize on it rather than pushing the offensive play to the point of mistakes.  Given the same amount of opportunities, I would pick a more talented Pens roster to score more goals than the Flyers, stop giving them more opportunities as the equalizer.  The Flyers are a very solid team, but we are making them look amazing on our own accord.

Flyers lead series 2-0.  Next Game: 4/15 @ Phi, 3pm, NBC

Brief Season in Review

Before we move on to the NHL’s 2^nd season, the more important one, let’s take a moment to look at some final stats, highs, lows, and other miscellaneous tidbits that have the Pens sitting in 4^th in the Conference.  If you’re really bored, check out my season predictions and laugh at how off I was on some of these things:  http://crosbyftw.blogspot.com/2011/10/pens-season-preview-2011-2012.html

Win/Loss:

Record:  51-25-6, 108 pts.  2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East (though, 4^th in the NHL)

Home: 29-10-2 (4^th in NHL)

Away: 22-15-4 (7^th)

Shootouts: 9-3 (7^th)

Goals:

Goals For: 282 (1^st)

Goals Against: 221 (12^th)

Differential: +61  (2^nd)

Special Teams:

Power Play: 19.7% (5^th)

- Power Play Opportunities: 289 (7^th)

- Short-Handed Goals Allowed: 10 (26^th)

Penalty Kill: 87.8% (3^rd) *Franchise Record

- Times Shorthanded: 270 (15^th)

- Short-Handed Goals: 11 (3^rd)

Geno may have led the team in scoring, but these 3 were integral parts of the PP's success.

Random:

Hits: 2058 (6^th)

Blocked Shots: 1065 (22^nd)

Missed Shots: 1088 (2^nd)

Giveaways: 498 (28^th)

Takeaways: 439 (30^th)

Faceoffs: 50.4% (13^th)

- The Pens won 45.7% of the games in which they allowed the 1^st goal, the highest % in the NHL.

Transactions:

- Marc Letestu was traded to Columbus for a 4^th round draft pick.

- Chris Kunitz received a 2 year extension for $3.725 mil./yr.

- James Neal received a 6 year extension for $5 mil./yr. 

Neal became a part of the "core" of this team this year.

  

Season Highlights:

- Opening Night, 10/6: 4-3 (SO) win over Vancouver.  Led by a shocking 2 goal performance from the new Matt Cooke, the Pens won in Vancouver to start off the season with a playoff type win (minus the shootout)

- 10/27: 3-2 (SO) win over NYI: The Pens extended their winning streak to 5 games to take their record to 8-2-2, tops in the NHL early on.

- 11/21: 5-0 win over NYI:  Sid’s Return Part I.  Crosby came back from his concussion in dramatic fashion, scoring the 1^st goal of the game and putting up a 4 point night to dazzle the NHL in his long-awaited return.

Everyone was all smiles as Crosby skated around the corner with a big
"F*ck Yeah!!"

- 12/27: 4-2 win over Car:  The culmination of a 4 game win streak which saw the PK return to perfection and the PP score 6 goals in 4 games. 

- 1/31: 5-4 (SO) win over Tor:  The Pens 8^th win in a row, 5 of which had come in OT, 4 of which had been in a shootout.  Fleury started every game of the streak and simply had all the answers when he needed them most.

The shootout may be a gimmick, but Fleury has perfected it.

- 3/15: 5-2 win over NYR:  Sid’s Return Part II.  The Pens were on the tail end of an 11 game win streak which would see them streak towards the top of the Conference and they were just getting healthy as they had their captain return yet again.  They would win their next game before losing the streak to Philly.

- 4/7: 4-2 win over Phi:  Though the game was meaningless, the Pens still managed to finish the season on a 3 game win streak and beat the Flyers for the first time in Consol Energy Center.

Season Lowlights:

- 11/19: 3-2 loss to Fla:  The Pens hit a rough stretch, losing 3 of 4 games to Car, TB, and Fla, and watching the powerplay hit a 1 for 21 slump while the PK allowed 2 goals for the 2^nd game in a row.

- 12/5: 3-1 loss to Bos:  The loss to Boston was tough, but the bigger loss was Crosby re-injuring himself from a multitude of collisions, sending him off with concussion like symptoms yet again.

- 12/16: 6-4 loss to Ott:  The 4^th loss in 5 games since Crosby went out, and the 6^th straight game the PK let up a goal.  Panic began to take over Pens nation after this Friday night loss.

BJ wasn't himself and the D didn't help.

- 12/29: 4-2 loss to Phi:  In the much anticipated return of Talbot and Jagr to Pittsburgh, the Flyers watched both of them score to end the Pens 4 game win streak, and send them into what turned into a very rough losing streak.

- 1/11: 1-0 loss to Was:  The Pens went on a major goal scoring drought, scoring just 6 goals in 6 games, all losses highlighted by a frustrating 1-0 loss to the rival Caps.  The Pens outshot every team during the losing streak, and only received 14 powerplays through the streak, easily a 6 game low.

- 3/29: 5-3 loss to NYI:  The Pens lost their 2^nd straight game to the Isles, by 5-3 in both games and panic set in for what was supposed to be an unbeatable team.

- 4/1: 6-4 loss to Phi:  In a game that simply turned into a disaster at the end, the Pens played poor defense and then got into a line brawl to end the game off of clean hit.  Peter Laviolette and Tony Granato got into a shouting match in between the benches and were both fined for the mess.

This may be the defining point of the season in the end.

Players Overrated Going Into the Season:

Paul Martin – I don’t think I have to write much about this, it’s safe to say that everyone has been disappointed in his performance from top to bottom.  Not enough offense, weak shot, poor defense, pinches too much….just pick a complaint.  His final stat line was: 73gp, 2g, 25a, +9, 18 PIM.  It really isn’t a bad stat line…until you consider his $5 mil contract and if you’ve watched him play.

This was the story of Paul Martin:  missing.

Brent Johnson – Johnny may have set the expectations a little too high when he saved Fleury at the start of the season.  He had a rough go for most of the season, though he came up very strong towards the end for the Pens.  His final stat line: 16gp, 6-7-2, 3.11 GAA, .883 Save %.  It will be interesting to see if the Pens want to retain him for next season.  He’s a great locker room guy, cheap, and Thiessen doesn’t look ready to me, but we shall see.

Tyler Kennedy – Coming off of a career year, he was one of the bigger question marks going into last offseason.  Without top PP and top line time this year though, he was a disappointment after last year.  His final stat line:  60gp, 11g, 22a, +10, 29 PIM.  Hidden disappointing stat: 5.6 shooting %.  He finished 5^th on the team in shots on net, but 15^th in shooting %.  That pretty much sums up his disappointing year.

Players Underrated Going Into the Season:

This section literally could be half the roster, so I’ll try to keep it short, I know I left players out.

Pascal Dupuis – No one saw Dupuis breaking out like this, having a career year in all aspects.  He put up a 17 game point streak to end the season and was simply fantastic all year.  His final stat line:  82gp, 25g, 34a, +18, 34 PIM.  Dupuis finished 4^th on the team in scoring, raise your hand if you saw that coming.

Dupuis has turned into the ultimate spark plug and threat.

Matt Cooke – It was hard to know what Cooke would do coming off of his season ending suspension last year.  He had the talent, but would he use his brain?  He did.  Final stats:  82gp, 19g, 19a, +5, 44 PIM.  Big 2 for me: 82gp and 44 PIM.  Very impressive numbers for Cooke and a true inspiration for change.

James Neal – After Neal slumped his way out of everyone’s hearts through the playoff run last year, predictions were all over this year.  Guess what, it didn’t matter what anyone predicted, he beat them all.  Final stats:  80gp, 40g, 41a, +6, 87 PIM.  I could have done without some of those 87 PIM, but 40 goals from Neal is success no matter how you look at it.  18 of those goals were on the PP too, helping a dismal PP from last year.

It took him far too long to get on the roster, but he surely deserved it.

Steve Sullivan – Sullivan seemed like a good bargain and depth signing going into the season.  What he turned into was a durable powerplay specialist that the Pens badly needed.  Final stats:  79gp, 17g, 31a, -3, 20 PIM.  21 of his 48 points came on the PP as he joined Neal to help that unit out greatly.  The 79gp are still a shock to me for the former Masterton winner who has missed well over 100 games in his career due to injuries.

Evgeni Malkin – I’ll end this with a player that everyone knew was great but no one was sure how great he would be this season.  I can certainly tell you I did not predict Malkin would score 50 and put up a Hart worthy season as he led this team without Sid for much of the year.  Final stats: 75gp, 50g, 59a, +18, 70 PIM.  He took fewer stupid penalties, scored more goals, and simply kept his head in the game throughout most of the season.  He literally grew up in front of our eyes this year into a league MVP (though not official yet).

Time to push for Conn Smythe #2! 

Individual Stats Leaders:

Goals:  Malkin (50)

Assists:  Malkin (59)

Pts:  Malkin (109)

+/-:  Letang (+21)

PIM:  Neal (87)

Avg. Time on Ice: Letang (24:50)

Shots:  Malkin (339)

Shooting %:  Staal (16.8%)

Staal found his scoring touch from his rookie season again.

Hits: Orpik (259)

Blocked Shots: Michalek (144)

Missed Shots: Neal (123)

Giveaways:  Malkin (73) *Next Highest: Martin (39)

Takeaways:  Malkin (52) *Next Highest:  Staal (39)

Faceoff %: Vitale (55.7%)

Faceoffs, Fights, PK, Joe Vitale demonstrated he can do it all this year.

- Asham and Engelland led the team in fights with 8 each

- Malkin was on for the most goals for, 132

- Martin and Orpik were on for the most goals against overall, 81 for each

- Interesting stat on Martin: He is a +14 against the Atlantic, but a -5 against other divisions

- Malkin was the team shootout leader, going 8 for 11.

Team Awards:

Baz Bastien Memorial “Good Guy” Award (Media Cooperation) – Fleury & Dupuis

NHL Masterton Nominee (Dedication to Hockey) – Cooke

A.T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Cup (Most 3 Star Votes) – Malkin

Player’s Player Award (Leadership) – Orpik

Edward J. DeBartolo “Community Service” Award (Charity Work) – Malkin

Defensive Player of the Year (Best Defensively) – Orpik & Fleury

MVP (Best Overall) - Malkin

Now, ON TO THE PLAYOFFS!!!

Pens End the Regular Season with a Win

Main Storylines:

- While this is a “meaningless game”, quite a few players are looking for milestones.  Most importantly, the Flyers have yet to lose in Consol in heading into the last game of the season.

- These teams are locked into the 4/5 matchup.  Don’t expect too much craziness because they both know next week is far more important than anything today.

- While this is a playoff preview, it also isn’t.  Flyers aren’t dressing Giroux, Briere, and Grossmann.  Pens aren’t dressing Neal, Sullivan, Niskanen.

Result:

Pens  4  Flyers  2

Goals:  Dupuis (25) from Asham, Staal

            Kunitz (26) from Malkin

            Crosby (8) (PP) from Kunitz, Staal

            Malkin (50) from Letang, Crosby

Stats/Milestones:

- Goals: Dupuis (25), Kunitz (26), Malkin (50)

Just an unreal season for Dupuis, what a stud.

- Point Streak: Dupuis (17 games)

- Points Malkin (109), Staal (50), Dupuis (59), Kunitz (61)

- Evgeni Malkin will officially win the Art Ross Trophy for finishing as the league’s leading scorer.

Not quite how I want him celebrating #50, but better than Neal's #40 celebration.

- The crowd set a new record at Consol Energy Center, packing in 18,616 to see the season finale.

The Good:

- The refs did a fantastic job in this game.  Everyone was worried about what shenanigans may occur, but after an early fight between Joe Vitale and Harry Zolnierczyk, nothing dirty or gritty occurred.  The refs called a pretty tight game and even gave Shelley a 10 minute misconduct before he could get in any real trouble or take a penalty.  I expect that type of reffing all series.

Oh yeah, and Vitale won, by a landslide.

- The defense was the best I have seen in weeks, though obviously not going against Giroux or Briere helped a bit.  Michalek and Letang played exceptionally well, both making some great diving breakups and stops.

The Bad:

- I will be quite happy to see the end of the Engelland/Strait pairing.  Mostly on Strait’s part.  I don’t believe he’s nearly as ready as the Pens seem to, as I would prefer Despres over him right now.  The Schenn goal was on account of a lack of communication between Engo and Strait as neither knew who should go into the high slot to cover him.  Strait is a little too untethered in his coverage for my liking right now.  Hopefully Niskanen will be healthy and ready as the playoffs start.

- The powerplay did score a goal, but looked awful on their 5 minute major chance.  I will let this slide because they were trying to feed Malkin constantly and were also without Sullivan and Neal, but it still goes under bad for this game.

- It was sad to see Fleury get pulled on the verge of franchise record breaking win #227 just to see Johnson allow a goal instantly to give Fleury a no decision.  Fleury looked visibly displeased on the jumbotron, but hey, a game plan is a game plan.  Just have to wait til next year flower!

Johnson went straight to Fleury and shook his head in apology after the game.

The Ugly:

- Zac Rinaldo took a 5 minute major for checking from behind and a game misconduct when he crushed Michalek into the boards from behind.  I honestly believe half of this penalty was because of the refs wanting to keep control of the game and because his last name was Rinaldo.  He received a warning earlier in the shift from a ref after hitting Kennedy and was promptly thrown out after that hit.  The refs clearly wanted to take control and I approve of them acting in that way towards both teams.

Thoughts:

- Here are your East matchups: NYR – Ott, Bos – Was, Fla – NJ, Pit – Phi….guess who has the winning records in each series?  Not who you expect: Ott, Was, Fla, Phi.

- The 3^rd period was clearly both teams dropping into a stance of, let’s not get hurt, let’s not get into trouble, we’ll settle everything over the next 2 weeks.  Props to both teams for being smart with that.

- Though this was a meaningless game, I believe it was HUGE to beat the Flyers in Consol so they couldn’t go into the playoff series with that over our heads.  They will rationalize it based on the players they were missing, but the result does not change, it was a big psyche win whether anyone admits it or not.

- I’ll save the rest for future posts in the next few days, I PLAN on doing a Regular Season Review, Flyers Roster Preview, and Pens-Flyers Series Preview before the playoffs get underway…we’ll see how much I can accomplish.  Thanks for reading!

Pens Record: 51-25-6, 108 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  TBD, Playoffs announced Sunday, 4/8 at 1pm.  Likely 1^st 4 games: Wed, Fri, Sun, Wed

Torts Angry, Pens Win and Clinch 4th!

Main Storylines:

- The Pens get to face the Rangers without Lundqvist for the 2^nd straight game as this one is meaningless to NYR and Lundqvist wants to rest a sore arm

A day off to help him work that "rugged" look.

- A win here will clinch 4^th in the conference and home ice advantage in the 1^st round for the Pens

- The Pens are sitting some big guys tonight: Niskanen (upper body), Sullivan (lower body) and Neal (lower body).  Dustin Jeffrey still can’t crack the lineup though

Result:

Pens  5  Rangers  2

Goals:  Kunitz (25) from Letang, Malkin

            Kennedy (11) from Staal, Michalek

            Park (7) from Dupuis, Tangradi

            Malkin (49) from Kunitz, Crosby

            Letang (10) (SH) from Staal

Stats/Milestones:

- Pascal Dupuis extended his career high point streak to 16 games.  It is a shame the regular season has only one more game because it would be wonderful to see how far he could push this continuously.

- Chris Kunitz recorded his 200^th career NHL assist on Malkin’s goal                   .

- Marc-Andre Fleury tried Barrasso’s franchise record for wins at 226.

- Evgeni Malkin hit a career high in points and now has 107.

The Good:

- Hey, a win over the Rangers is a win over the Rangers, no matter the circumstances.  Also, how fun is it to piss of John Tortorella off based on that postgame rant?

Whine Whine Whine

- The defense looked much better in this game than they had in the previous 2 weeks, though there is still work to do.  It’s a big step forward with the playoffs looming ever so close.

Evgeni Malkin – Malkin had gone quiet for a couple games and wasn’t playing bad, but also wasn’t being his enigmatic self.  Tonight he reverted back to the norm and appeared to have a jump in his step.  He scored goal #49 and based on his postgame interview, he will be gunning for 50 hard on Saturday.  As long as Geno stays healthy, life is good.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Fleury looked much better in this game than he had in the previous week, stopping 35 of 37 shots and making some very acrobatic saves like when he was on his hot streak.  He also finally got his franchise record-tying 226^th win on his 4^th try after that mark appeared to be getting into his head.  It’s great that Fleury got a game in like this before the playoffs started, and while I would expect him to start vs. Philly on Sat anyways, this puts less pressure on Bylsma to start him looking for a spark.

The Bad:

- For all the crap Tortorella said after the game, it’s funny that he didn’t mention his team had 6 powerplays and the Pens only had 1.  Mind you, they all came of different varieties.  The “hooking” penalty on Cooke was garbage as there was no hook and no one was held up either.  I have no clue how that was called.  Kunitz took 2 minors which is why I kept him off of the good list.  He’s gotta ease up on the stupid penalties he’s been taking in the 2^nd half.  Then you have the Orpik 5 min major…I’ll get to the in the next section. 

Deryk Engelland – Engelland was the only defenseman that slipped up more than a couple times as far as I could tell.  He missed Dubinsky on the Rangers first goal that tied the game and he had trouble with his slot coverage a few other times, but none of those resulted in a goal luckily.  I would like to see Engo use the body a little more in front since he is generally bigger than most guys he faces on the crease.  It will be a fine line for him to work through the playoffs with.

Engo knew that was on him..and knowing is half the battle.

The Ugly:

- Since I’m doing this so late, we all know Orpik didn’t get any extra penalties for his kneeing penalty (a 5 minute major and game misconduct).  The knee was definitely a dirty hit, he stuck it out though I highly doubt his intentions were to injure.  He was basically just trying to run interference for a guy about to get past him it looked like.  Personally, I would have been okay with the nominal $2,500 fine and lesson learned.  But I’ll certainly take less!

- Tortorella went CRAZY after the game and ranted about Crosby and Malkin being whiners, the organization being arrogant, and how Orpik’s hit was dirty and the Pens are a dirty team.  The NHL opted to fine him $20,000, most likely for the part where he implied that watching the league deal with Orpik would be comical.  Tortorella’s comments are generally ridiculous and overzealous, but they were smart.  No one has spoken about his team losing 5-2 or about his team at all.  He deflected all of the attention from his loss and probably got his team fired up as well.  I don’t believe he should have been fined for speaking his mind, but hey, whatever the NHL decides to do.

I assure you the Pens didn't want to see this either.

Thoughts:

- The playoffs are set for the Penguins, they clinched the 4^th seed and are locked into a 4-5 matchup with the Flyers.  Saturday’s game likely won’t be the chaos everyone is expecting.  Both teams know it’s the week after that matters and won’t want to risk injuries or suspensions.  Both also want to send a message with game play.  Expect a very tight game, but not as dirty as the media may suggest.

Pens Record: 50-25-6, 106 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  4/7 vs Phi, 4pm