Free Agency Day - Live (kinda)

I'll do my best to live blog Day 1 of free agency with my quick thoughts and analysis around the league.  Just hit refresh every so often!

9:35pm
- The Capitals have signed Joey Crabb to a 1 yr. deal.  Crabb spent the last 2 years in Toronto, and put up 26 points in 67 games for the Maple Leafs last year.  The Caps will find him quite useful on the penalty kill and as a role player in general.  He'll get $950k with the Caps this season.

and I'm going to call it a night at that.  Mostly minor league deals at this point (Devils sign Jay Leach to a 2-way deal, Avs sign Bryan Lerg to a 2-way deal)  Thanks for keeping up!!


9:20pm
- The Sabres have agreed to "germs" according to the Sabres twitter account with John Scott.  Scott played with both the Rangers and Blackhawks last year.  He provides versatility as he can play wing or defense and is a nice extra to have on the NHL roster.  He also plays the tough guy role quite well at a height of 6'8.  It's a 1 yr deal worth $600k.

- The Penguins have signed forward Trevor Smith to a 1 yr, 2-way deal.  The 24 year old center played in 16 games with the Lightning and scored 5 points.  This is another AHL depth move for the Baby Pens.


9:10pm
- Things have quieted down greatly and many teams have said they are done for the day.  I don't expect much else to happen tonight except for maybe a small deal or two.


8:35pm
- Bob McKenzie is reporting that Matt Carle will not make a decision until Ryan Suter has made his decision.  So don't expect anything until tomorrow.  Suter's agent has said that he will not make his decision tonight, "Tomorrow is a new day."  Salvador appears to be following suit and will not make a decision until Suter has signed either.


8:15pm
- The Ducks have signed Jordan Hendry to a 1 yr deal in an effort to sign every defenseman left I guess.  He played in the Swiss Elite League for most of last year though he does have 129 career NHL games from his time in Chicago a couple of years back.


7:50pm
- Jason Garrison is finally off the board as the Vancouver Canucks sign him after losing Salo and Rome today.  Garrison's deal is for 6 years with a cap hit of $4.6 million per year.  This is a long and pricey deal for a defenseman that has only proven himself for one year.  If he can boost the powerplay like he did in Florida, it may be worth it, but I am skeptical of the length here.  Garrison had 16 goals last year, 9 on the powerplay.  Can he repeat those numbers?
Note: It appears he took less money to sign with Vancouver according to Bob McKenzie.  He was being offered "Wideman-like" numbers.

- The Ducks have bolstered their blueline even more today with Sheldon Souray for 3 years, $11 million total.  With a heavy shot from the blue line, they may have filled their loss from trading Visnovsky to the Isles at the draft last week.  Souray had been offered a deal by the Stars but wanted to test the market for more money/years at the age of 36.  For a player that was almost out of the NHL not that long ago, it's certainly an intriguingly long/pricey deal though.

- In my opinion, these two deals could fall under the "regrets" for each team in a couple of years...


5:30-7:30pm
Sorry, was away for a couple hours but here's what I missed:

- Parise and Suter are both expected to wait until tomorrow to make decisions.  Parise has narrowed his list down to 6 teams and informed teams as much.

- Defenseman Bryan Allen signed with the Anaheim Ducks for 3 years at $3.5 million/yr.  This is a very reasonable price for one of the better defensive guys that was available on the market.  I had him going for more money than this, so I would say it's a solid deal for Anaheim and definitely improves their defense.  At 6'4, 220 lbs, Allen will protect the crease well.

- Detroit signed Mikael Samuelsson to a 2 year deal for $3 million/yr.  Samuelsson had success with Detroit a few years back, though he brings more age to an already aging team.  Regardless, he is low risk as he already knows Detroit well and did score 31 points in 54 games with the Panthers last year.  Detroit has so much cap space that the price is insignificant to them.

- Detroit also signed winger Jordin Tootoo away from Nashville for 3 years at $1.9 million/yr.  Tootoo was a career Predator and scored 125 points in 486 games with the franchise.  At just 5'9, he brings an abundance of scrappiness, accumulating 725 PIM during that time, and will be a solid energy guy for Detroit.

- Defenseman Aaron Rome was signed by the Dallas Stars for 3 years at $1.5 million/yr.  This is a great price for Rome as an NHL caliber defenseman who was not retained by Vancouver.  Dallas has an excessive amount of NHL ready defensemen right now, but this will give them depth at the position.

- The Penguins signed Warren Peters to a 1 yr, 2-way deal.  The deal is worth $600k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL.  Peters can fight...yeah I'll leave it at that.  More depth and grit for WBS in the AHL essentially.


5:20pm
- Rumors are swirling that Ryan Suter has picked the Red Wings per Nick Kypreos, but Pierre LeBrun has now refuted that saying that Suter's agent has no decision yet from Ryan.

- Sami Salo has signed a 2 year deal with Tampa Bay for $3.75 mil/yr.  It's a steep price for the veteran who is best known for his play in Vancouver, but he will be a huge help for the Lightning and their awful defensive/goaltending situation.  The market for defensemen continues to be rough.

- Toronto actually does sign center Jay McClement to a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million/yr.  The price is solid and fits with the prices seen with Latendresse, Boyes, etc.  The Leafs get a solid role player that will boost all aspects of their team defensively.

- The Pens have signed Pittsburgh native Dylan Reese to a 1 yr, 2-way deal.  Reese scored 7 points in 28 games with the Islanders last season and brings some bulk to the defense even though he's only 6'1.  He'll likely spend most if not all of his time in the AHL though.


5:05pm
- Parise and Suter are holding NHL Free Agency hostage at gunpoint as far as I can tell.


4:45pm
- The Isles have signed defenseman Jon Landry to a 1 yr, 2-way contract.  Landry had 20 points in 34 games with Bridgeport in the AHL after getting promoted from the ECHL.  Yes, this has slowed down so much that I'm referencing the ECHL.


4:35pm
- Columbus replaces Methot in the free agent market and signs veteran Adrian Aucoin to a 1 yr, $2 million deal (plus bonuses).  Aucoin had 9 points in 64 games last season with Phoenix.  Phoenix appears to be hemorrhaging veterans this offseason.  Aucoin will provide a nice veteran presence for a young and somewhat lost Columbus team.

Unfortunately for Columbus, Aucoin's beard could not
reach a deal.

4:20pm
- Another goalie is off the market as Chris Mason has signed with Nashville for 1 year, $1.25 million plus bonuses.  The Flyers were originally in on him, but that may have died off after they signed Leighton.  Mason has big (literally) shoes to fill now that Lindback is no longer in Nashville to back up Rinne.

- The Blues have signed defenseman Tayor Chorney to a 2 way deal worth $525k in the NHL and $105k in the AHL.  Chorney was with St. Louis for a hot second last season before going to Edmonton and will return as an AHL defender most likely.


4:10pm
- It certainly seems like quite a few teams are hamstrung by waiting on large offers for Parise and Suter.  Things will liven up quickly once those 2 make decisions, but no one knows when that will happen.

- A popular Plan B option for the Parise sweepstakes, P.A. Parenteau has signed with Colorado for 4 years, $4 mil/yr.  Parenteau had 67 points in 80 games last season as he turned heads, especially with 49 assists.  He will be a solid powerplay addition for the Avs since he scored 19 of his 67 points with the extra man.  I have a hard time believing he will be worth that money for 4 years though.  Regardless, it is a nice move for improving the Avs and using their plethora of cap space.

It will be interesting to see if Parenteau can succeed with pressure
and not just on a losing team.

4:00pm
- Chicago has signed defenseman Sheldon Brookbank to a 2 year contract worth $1.25 mil/yr.  He had 14 points in 80 games last year for Anaheim and was a +11.  The Hawks were looking for a right handed defenseman which is the big key here.  He's another 3rd pairing, stay at home defenseman that won't cause many problems.

- Edmonton has signed Darcy Hordichuk to a 1 year deal.  Hordichuk has 1138 penalty minutes in 538 games.  That's all you need to know there.  He will make $850k.

- Winnipeg has signed Alexei Ponikarovsky to a 1 year deal worth $1.8 million.  Ponikarovsky fit in well with the Devils after the Hurricanes traded him late in the season, but teams have generally been frustrated by his inconsistencies.  He still provides a big body with a solid wrist shot though, so if he gets comfortable, there is a lot of potential still.

- The Florida Panthers have signed tough guy and mustache lover George Parros to a 2 year deal.  Parros brings a great locker room presence and the typical skills of a tough guy.  He is a big fan favorite around the league and does a lot of work in the community.  He will average $925k per year.

The stache says it all.

- The Islanders sign forward Eric Boulton to a 1 year deal.  Boulton played 51 games for the Devils last year at left wing and had 0 points, a -12 rating, and 115 PIMs.  He'll get $525k.


3:45pm
- As all seems to quiet down, the Avalanche have signed defenseman Greg Zanon.  Zanon spent last year with Minnesota and Boston and is your typical 3rd line stay at home defenseman.  I guess he will make up for the Carkner signing that never happened for Colorado.  It's a 2 year deal worth 2.25 mil/yr.


3:30pm
- Ryan Suter's agent has stated they are going through offers one by one and calling teams back so it will take some time.  Meanwhile, Carolina GM Jim Rutherford said Parise's decision will likely not come until Monday based on his talks with him, though Parise is expected to narrow it down soon.


3:25pm
- Michael Haley, former AHL/NHL tough guy of the Isles has switched New York allegiances to the Rangers.

- Speaking of the Rangers, Brandon Prust has signed a 4 year, $10 million total deal to join Montreal.  Prust is a great pest type player for Montreal, but he does not help with their small size and that's a steep price for a pest.

He's such a clean player, how could you not want him?

3:05pm
- First trade of the day is done: Ottawa has traded Nick Foligno to Columbus for defenseman Marc Methot.  Methot will be a nice defensive defenseman addition for Ottawa and will replace Filip Kuba as Erk Karlsson's defensive partner.  Foligno is currently an RFA but will bring a lot of speed to the Blue Jackets.

- Dustin Penner has re-signed with the Los Angeles Kings for 1 year, $3.25 million.  Penner and the Kings had agreed to a paycut last week, it was just a matter of time for a deal.  That price is still probably a little high for what he has done the last few regular seasons.

- Phoenix has signed goalie Chad Johnson to a 1 yr, 2-way contract.  He will likely be the starter for Phoenix's AHL affiliate and provide depth if necessary.

- Kris Newbury has re-signed with the Rangers on a 2 yr, 2-way deal.  He may get a couple sniffs of the NHL like in previous yeras, but it won't be much.

- Francis Bouillon has signed a 1 yr deal in Montreal for $1.5 million.  He is a tough defensive defenseman that is mainly a depth guy.  The price just demonstrates how tough it is to get defensemen right now.


3:00pm
- Update on Latendresse - he has passed his physical and has signed with Ottawa.  Nothing else going on but rumors and talk right now...


2:45pm
- Filip Kuba has signed a 2 year deal with Florida worth $4 million per year.  Kuba will take away the sting of losing Jason Garrison as he can play on the powerplay and he put up 32 points last year.  It's a steep price though and makes me wonder how much Garrison and others will get on the open market.

2:35pm
- The New York Rangers have signed former Penguin Arron Asham to a two year deal worth $2 million total.  Asham will officially have played for every team in the Atlantic division with this deal.  Though unconfirmed, I don't believe the Pens ever even made an offer to retain him despite his wishes to remain in Pittsburgh.

- The Penguins have signed former Jets forward Tanner Glass to a 2 year deal worth $1.1 million per year.  Glass fills the 4th line winger role that Asham held essentially.  Glass had 246 hits last season and put up 16 points in 78 games.  He is a strong forechecker with decent speed.  He's not afraid to get in front of a puck either with 51 blocks last year, expect him to help fill the Staal void on the PK.


2:25pm
- Update on Ray Whitney - Dallas was actually the only team to offer him a 2 year deal, so it was a no brainer for him.


2:10pm
- Matt Carkner has now officially signed a 3 year deal with the Islanders after the Avs claimed to sign him an hour ago.  The Avs twitter account can no longer be trusted.  Carkner will get $1.5 million/yr., twice as much as Ottawa was offering.

- Calgary has signed center Ben Street to a 2-way deal, formerly of the AHL Penguins.  He scored 57 points in 71 games for the Baby Pens last year.


2:05pm
- Columbus has signed goalie Curtis McElhinney to a 1 year, 2-way deal.  Expect him to start in the AHL and be the primary backup if Mason or Bobrovsky get hurt.  He will make $750k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL.

- Pittsburgh has signed minor league center Riley Holzapfel to a 1 yr, 2-way deal.  He will make $525k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL. He had 22 points in 28 games with the Syracuse Crunch last year and 15 points in 29 games with St. John's.  It appears he will just replace Ben Street, who has signed with Calgary.

- Pittsburgh has also OFFICIALLY signed Sidney Crosby to his 12 year, $104.4 million deal.

1:55pm
- San Jose signs former Stars winger Adam Burish to a 4 year deal worth approximately $1.8 million/yr.  Burish provides a solid forechecking presence and adds toughness to the team as a 3rd liner.

- Ottawa signs Andre Benoit to a 1 year, 650k deal.

- Pittsburgh re-signs forward Steve MacIntyre to a 2 yr, 2 way contract.  MacIntyre played 12 games for the Pens last season, accumulating no points and 6 PIMs.  I flat out don't understand the signing.  He will likely spend most of his time in the AHL, but he will make $625k at the NHL level.

- The Islanders have signed former Sabres center Brad Boyes to a 1 year, $1 million deal.  Boyes had a very disappointing year last season, scoring only 23 points in 65 games.  This is essentially a 1 year tryout for him to prove his NHL worth again.  The Isles may have one of the steals of free agency in a year with this signing.

Boyes was very promising in St. Louis before a
down year in Buffalo.  This is one signing to watch.

1:45pm
- Ray Whitney has agreed to terms with the Dallas Stars.  The contract will be for 2 years, and total $9 million ($4 million in salary each year and $500k in bonuses each year).  Whitney had been looking for a 2 year deal at his age (40) and found a nice pay day in that.  He put up 77 points last season and was a wizard (had to say it) on the powerplay, but his age is a big question in this deal.  He didn't top 60 points in the 2 seasons previous to that, so can he keep it up?  His locker room presence will be great for some of the young stars in Dallas though.  Expect Jamie Benn's goal total to increase with this.  Whitney's deal also includes a no-movement clause, and a modified no trade clause where he can list 10 teams to be traded to.

Age was a deterrent to most teams, but not Dallas.

- Brad Staubitz has signed a 2 year deal with Anaheim.  Staubitz leaves the Minnesota Wild after mainly playing a tough guy role for them.  He'll make $625k in the first year and $650k in the 2nd year.

- Detroit has signed forward Damien Brunner to a 1 yr, 2-way deal.


1:40pm
- Colby Armstrong has signed a 1 year deal with Montreal after being cut loose by Toronto last week. He will be reunited with former coach Michel Therrien there. The deal is for $1 million.  If he can stay healthy, this will be a solid deal for Montreal.  Armstrong will also be collecting $1 million from Toronto as well.  Per Colby's tweet: "I am so happy to have just agreed to a one year deal with Montreal. So pumped. My fav childhood team. Can't wait#dreamcometrue #habs"


1:30pm

- Minnesota has signed Torrey Mitchell as they continue to horde former Sharks.  Mitchell has taken a regular shift with San Jose for the last 4 seasons as a 3rd/4th line center.  The contract is for 3 years at $1.9 mil/yr.  He's a fast and physical guy, a solid role playing forward.

- Ottawa is on the verge of signing Guillaume Latendresse.  He is currently in Ottawa for a physical.  The deal would be for 1 year, $1.2 million plus bonuses.

- Pierre LeBrun has reported that the Red Wings are no longer going to Toronto to visit with Zach Parise.  No one knows what that means.


1:25pm
- Pittsburgh signs goalie Jeff Zatkoff to a 2 yr, 2 way deal worth $525k in the NHL and $105k in the AHL.  He will add depth to the Pens minor league team behind/with Brad Thiessen.  He formerly played for the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL (The Kings affiliate) and put up a 2.49 GAA and .920 save % last season with a 21-17-1 record.

- Zenon Konopka has agreed to a 2 year contract with the Minnesota Wild.  He is a big bruising center that can hit and fight like very few.  He is a solid faceoff man as well.


1:10pm- The New York Rangers have re-signed defenseman Stu Bickel to a 2 year deal, worth $750k per year.  Bickel played 51 games for the Rangers last year and provides toughness on the back end, accumulating 108 PIMs in that time.

- The Carolina Hurricanes have signed defenseman Joe Corvo to a 1 year deal and re-signed goalie Justin Peters to a two year deal.  Peters is an important signing as the Canes just lost backup goalie Brian Boucher for 4-6 months to a shoulder injury.  Corvo was much maligned as a turnover prone defenseman in his previous stint in Carolina, so I can't imagine fans are pleased with that.  Corvo's deal is worth only $2 million though, which is relatively cheap in this market.  Peters will make $550k in the first year of his deal and $525k in the 2nd year of his deal.  The 1st year is a 2-way deal and the 2nd year will be a one way deal.

Corvo's nickname in Carolina was "Oh No Corvo".  That's not good.

- Ottawa has signed defenseman Mike Lundin to a 1 year deal, worth $1.15 million.  Lundin is your typical depth stay at home defenseman.  He has over 200 games on his NHL resume but very little on the stats sheet.


1:00pm
- Zach Parise is expected to have an hour meeting with Detroit representatives starting at 3:30.  I would not expect a decision from him until tonight at the very earliest, though likely tomorrow or later.  The Pens have already had Sidney Crosby and Paul Martin (Minnesota connection) call him and talk to him with their offer today.  Many other teams are expected to either meet or talk with him.


12:50pm
- Per Darren Dreger, John Mitchell has signed a 2 year deal with Colorado.  Mitchell played in 63 games for the Rangers last year, accumulating 16 points and a +10 rating.  He is a solid 4th line center and role player for the Avs to pick up.  Mitchell's deal is for $1.1 million/yr.

- The Avs have also signed defenseman Matt Carkner.  Carkner will provide a lot of size and grit for the Avs as a 3rd line defenseman. (confirmed by the Avs, unconfirmed by Carkner's agents - PROVEN TO BE FALSE)


12:35pm
- Sportsnet is reporting that goalie Jonas Gustavsson has signed with the Red Wings to back up Jimmy Howard.  The deal is for 2 years at 1.5 million per year.  This is a solid signing, I would have expected him to go somewhere where he had a chance to steal more starts.  The backup goalie market is absurdly thin at this point.


12:30pm
- Things went crazy around 1:30-2pm last year...hopefully we don't have to wait that long here.

- The Florida Panthers have agreed to 1 yr, 2-way deals with center Greg Rallo and goalie Dov Grumet-Morris.  This is meaningless for the NHL.

- David Moss has signed with Phoenix for a 2 year deal.  (had re-signed with Calgary incorrectly before, blame the internet.)


12:20pm
- Derek Meech re-signs with Winnipeg.  Meech only played 2 games for the Jets last season.  Generally seen as a 7th or 8th defenseman.  The deal is a 1 year, 2 way deal worth $700k at the NHL level and $105k in the AHL.


12:15pm
- The Isles have inquired into signing Brad Boyes who had a very disappointing year in Buffalo.  Yes, I'm resorting to rumors because this is going so slow already...


12:05pm
- Brent Sutter re-signs with the Hurricanes on a 2 way deal worth 550k/105k, with 150k guaranteed.  He will likely be taxied back and forth between their AHL and NHL team as a depth forward.


12:00pm
And we're underway!!
- Tampa Bay has signed Benoit Pouliot to a 1 year deal worth $1.8 million.  He was acquired from Boston before the draft, so this signing is not a surprise.

- The Flyers have signed goalie Michael Leighton to a 1 year, $900,000 deal.  Perhaps he will be Bryzgalov's backup, but the Flyers may continue looking for one still.

- Apparently teams need more than 1 minute to negotiate and sign players today.


11:48am
- Matt Carkner has turned down a $750,000 deal with the Senators and will test the open market.

- Detroit has representatives visiting both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.  Chris Cheloios and owner Mike Illitch are visiting Suter.  GM Ken Holland and others are at Parise's camp.


11:42am
- The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to a 1 year deal with goalie Yann Danis.  The 31 year old has 49 games of NHL experience, earning most of it with the New York Islanders in 2008-2009.  Just a depth move for the Oilers.

- Terms also coming out on Jonathan Quick's extension from earlier this week.  He will make $7 million over the first 7 years, and then a total of $9 million in the last 3 years of the deal. (Total was 10 years, $58 million).


11:25am
- Ryan Smyth has signed a 2 year extension worth 4.5 mil (total) with Edmonton.  He never wanted to leave Edmonton and the Oilers wanted to keep him, so there is no surprise this deal happened.  It is a considerable and necessary drop from his $6.25 million last year though.

- Tampa Bay has re-signed defensman Evan Oberg to a 1 yr, two way deal.  Oberg has 7 games of NHL experience, so I have little to say aside from it's a depth signing.

- Darren Dreger has tweeted out that Crosby's contract numbers are starting to come out now that he can sign it today.  It will be front-loaded and he will make $12 mil in the first 3 years ($8.7 cap hit overall though).


11:10am
- It's official, Parise is going to the open market but he is not ruling NJ out yet.  Personally, I'm predicting he goes to Minnesota.  Here's hoping I'm wrong!

- Jordan Staal has signed an extension with the Carolina Hurricanes for 10 years, $60 million.  It appears to be the same offer that the Pens gave him, demonstrating his heart was truly in Carolina with his brother Eric.  The Pens were lucky to get the return on him that they did.  Good job Ray Shero.

I imagine he screamed "WOOOO" after signing.

10:40am
- Zach Parise was supposed to say by 10am if he was going to stay with NJ.  I assume since news has not leaked, he is still testing free agency - why wouldn't he at this point.  Ottawa and LA are the newest teams into the mix, Ottawa supposedly offering huge bonuses according to Bruce Garrioch.

- Scott Clemmensen signed a 2 year, 2.4 mil (total) extension with Florida this morning.  They still seem to be the favorites for Luongo, but that one hasn't moved for some reason that I don't know.

Solid backup, not the best at drinking.

- Shane Doan will "test" free agency, but will not sign anywhere until July 9th.  He is looking to stay with Phoenix and waiting to hear about the latest deal to keep the Coyotes there (which they will find out about on the 9th).  So leave him off of your radar for today.

- Ray Whitney is looking for a 2 year deal.  He wants to stay in Phoenix but there's a strong chance they can't keep up with other offers with their financial issues.

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

Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, Oh My! Pens Win!

Main Storylines:

- Coming off of a terrible loss in Ottawa last night, the Pens get a chance to rebound and hit the 100 pt mark tonight at home against the Devils.

- Fleury gets the start tonight.  Steve Sullivan is out with a lower body injury, so Dustin Jeffrey finally gets back into the lineup to take his place.  Vitale and Niskanen remain out.  Park and Lovejoy fill their spots respectively.

Result:

Pens  5 Devils  2

Goals:  Kunitz (23) from Malkin

            Staal (23) from Cooke

            Dupuis (23) from Crosby, Adams

            Crosby (4) from Michalek, Dupuis

            Malkin (46) from Staal, Kunitz

Stats/Milestones:

- The Pens have hit the 100 pt mark for the 3^rd straight season, setting a franchise record.  This is also the 10^th straight win at Consol, setting a record there as well.

- Pascal Dupuis extended his career high point streak to 10 games.  He has also set a new career high for points with 50.

Dupuis looks more shocked with every goal he scores.

- Marc-Andre Fleury has now tied his career high in wins with 41 this season.

               

The Good:

- After a horribly disappointing effort on Saturday night against the Senators, the Pens bounced back with a better game, though work still needs to be done. 

- Matt Cooke’s effort on Staal’s goal was simply unreal.  Cooke was the one who initially got the puck into the zone to Staal, and then he was back on the boards to block a clearing attempt by the Devils, where he took the puck and fed Staal for the goal.  It’s little things like that play that show you Cooke isn’t the goon he portrayed himself as last year, but is a legit, smart hockey player.

- Crosby’s breakaway goal was simply vintage Crosby (hey, if every shot can be vintage Ovechkin, Crosby can have those too).  He tapped the puck past Marek Zidlicky on one side and skated past him on the other side to leave Zidlicky confused and in the dust.  Crosby then finished off the breakaway with a goal much to the delight of the home crowd.

- This is the first time that Staal, Malkin, and Crosby have scored in the same game since late 2009.  Wow.

Pascal Dupuis – Joe Vitale’s absence has left me searching for a true grit and energy guy in the lineup.  Somehow, while he kills penalties, plays along superstars, and scores goals, Dupuis has found a way to be that guy as well.  Dupuis showed by far the most energy on the Pens last night and was well-rewarded for it when he pounced on a rebound sitting in the slot to score what was ultimately the game-winner.  His effort is simply unmatched right now and he simply shows an aptitude for playing with any one of the Pens’ 3 big centers.  The biggest luxury with Dupuis might be the fact that he can comfortably rotate onto any line and adjust to the playing styles of Crosby, Malkin or Staal. 

Marc-Andre Fleury – If that Ottawa game didn’t demonstrate the value of having Fleury in net, this one should have.  Fleury stopped 32 of 34 shots he faced and bailed out the defense and the PK on a few occasions.  He faced quite a few “surprise” shots due to bad turnovers (led by Crosby and Letang, making them even bigger surprises) but looked calm and comfortable all night.  The Pens have to admit they were outplayed in a good portion of that game, but #29 in net made sure the scoreboard never said it.

Fleury 1 on 1: No problem.  His backups: goal.

The Bad:

- The turnovers in this game were astounding at times as the Pens couldn’t clear the zone on numerous occasions.  They were sloppy with the puck and never got to their puck possession game that saw them absolutely dominate New Jersey just a week ago.  It appears that some bad habits may have formed during the course of winning over this past week, especially in the defensive zone.

- Ben Lovejoy left after 3 shifts in the 1^st period with a “lower body injury”.  I imagine we will hear more about it on Monday.  Kris Letang also missed a few shifts, but returned to action.

Kris Letang – While Letang had issues just surviving this game as he left the ice due to a hit to the head and after crashing into the boards on a trip, he didn’t play his best when he wasn’t being abused.  Letang as turnover city at times in the D zone, twice giving the puck up to Kovalchuk, the last man you want to see battling Fleury.  On the 2^nd Devils goal, Letang got caught chasing the puck carrier too far from his zone, and while Staal and Adams failed to give him support, he was still out of position.  He also seemed to be headhunting a little and going out of his way for hits.  He took that high stick to the head because he was taking a run at someone and missed – that shouldn’t be forgotten.

The Ugly:

- Who would have guessed that the first 2 goals of the game would be on major gaffes behind the net by Brodeur and Crosby.  Brodeur mishandled the puck (I’m not sure that’s ever been said in his career) behind the net and lost it to Malkin, who fed it to Kunitz with a wide open net for the first goal.  Meanwhile, Crosby gave a gift right back – passing the puck to New Jersey in the slot while Fleury was behind the net for an empty netter basically. 

While both screwed up in the 1st, Crosby got the last laugh.

Thoughts:

- The defense still looks very lackluster as it has for the past week.  Many of the defensemen seem to be trying to play out of their styles and are simply trying to do too much.  I’m not sure how this got started, but it’s a trend that needs to be fixed over the course of this week before the Pens play the Rangers once and the Flyers twice in games that will surely determine the final playoff seedings.  The team would be much better off if we don’t see Orpik leading rushes like Letang would and Letang throwing the body like Orpik would (both of which occurred against NJ).

- The Pens now sit 1 point behind the Rangers for 1^st in the East, and 3 points behind St. Louis for 1^st in the NHL.  This is looking way too far ahead, but with St. Louis only have 4 home losses this season, the road to the Cup might require the President’s trophy as well.  First thing’s first of course - catch the Rangers.

- Though I expected Niskanen to return this week, if both him and Lovejoy miss some time, I hope Simon Despres gets the call up.  He has looked fantastic in all of his NHL games this season and I really think he’s ready to experience a stretch run with this team.  It will both help the team and his own growing process to get some key games in.

Pens Record: 47-22-6, 100 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/27 vs NYI, 7pm

Winning Doesn't Take Sundays Off, Pens Extend Streak to 9!!

Main Storylines:

- 8 wins in a row so far, another would set a new season high!

- Evgeni Malkin’s next point will be his 500^th in the NHL…he’s been looking for it for 3 games now

- Two droughts to watch:  James Neal has gone 9 games without a goal, since the day before he signed his contract extension.  Also, the powerplay has not scored a goal since Letang went out a week and a half ago.

- Engelland returns to the lineup as Brian Strait sits.  Take note, Despres clearly just jumped Strait on the depth chart after one game.  Also, Tangradi is in for Park – I’m guessing for the inevitable physicality that will be on display with the Bruins.  Paul Martin remains out.

Result:

Pens  5  Bruins  2

Goals:  Asham (4) from Lovejoy, Adams

            Niskanen (4) from Malkin, Neal

            Neal (31) (PP) from Malkin

            Kunitz (20) from Neal, Malkin

            Dupuis (18) from staal, Engelland

               

The Good:

- 9 wins in a row!! A new season high for the Pens!

- Malkin earned his 500^th career point on the Niskanen goal and Neal earned his 200^th point.  Malkin is the 4^th fastest active player to reach that mark (behind Crosby, Ovechkin, Selanne)

- Neal and the PP both broke out of their slumps with the 3^rd goal of the game, a 5 on 3 PP goal.

So much relief, he's the real deal again!

- Staal’s assist extended his point streak to a career high 8 games.  Meanwhile, the PK has now killed 21 PPs in a row.

The First Line – Welcome back boys, after a few quiet nights the first line came out on fire with their physical game and they turned it into scoring.  Malkin and Neal put together 3 point nights, catapulting Malkin back ahead of Stamkos in the Art Ross race for the time being.  Malkin also went a stellar 15 for 20 on faceoffs today.  The Kunitz goal was simply unfair, as Malkin makes a perfect pass while falling to Neal, who threads the needle past 3 Bruins to Kunitz, who finishes it off with an easy one timer.  Speaking of Kunitz, his forechecking was simply unreal today.  They pretty much told me to go F myself for thinking about breaking them up (and yet, I still want to when Sid comes back).

Marc-Andre Fleury – I should just make a permanent paragraph for this.  He stopped 34 of 36 shots, and was vital in killing off a late 3^rd period powerplay when the Bruins were trying to make a comeback.  He made a glove save on his back that was absolutely the key save of the game.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I didn’t even notice how high the Bruins shot total was getting, and that’s largely because Fleury makes it look easy.

Joe Vitale – Vitale’s energy and effort is simply unbelievable.  No points on the day for him, but he did amass a blocked shot, 3 hits, and 2 takeaways, and was very noticeable on most of his shifts today.  Vitale is turning into the ultimate checking line player and I have a feeling he will come up big for the Pens at a key moment down the road.

Joe Vitale deserves a movie more than Rudy as far as I'm concerned.

The Bad:

- There were a couple of defensive lapses that led to both Krejci goals.  On the first one, Orpik and Lovejoy got a little ahead of themselves in moving up with the rush and both ended up out of position leading to Krejci’s breakaway.  The second one was a consequence of Kunitz not lifting Krejci’s stick even though he was in position to do it.

Tyler Kennedy – TK had a very quiet day, only getting one shot on net (with another off the post).  He simply was not noticeable on the ice at all.  I was rather surprised to see him not get involved physically with his old scrappy play.  Bylsma clearly noticed something to, as TK only had 10 minutes of ice time.

The Ugly:

- Malkin’s hit on Boychuk earned him a 2 min minor for boarding, and I’m guessing a phone call with Shanahan tomorrow.  There have certainly been worse hits, but my point of contention on this hit was Malkin had the chance to hit Boychuk in the shoulder, but placed his hand in the middle of Boychuk’s back and shoved him from behind instead.  I don’t think anyone can argue that it was a poor decision.

No injury to Boychuk as he returned later, I'm guessing $2500  fine for Malkin.

Thoughts:

- I loved the Tangradi for Park lineup change today.  That’s a rare move for Bylsma, who doesn’t like to change his lineups at all during win streaks, but it was a smart one.  Boston loves to play physical and Tangradi is much better equipped for that.  He had a solid game I felt, and has looked very good in the defensive zone when he has played during this call up.

- The Pens came out today like it was a playoff game and ran out to a 3-0 lead and ran Tim Thomas out of the game.  Despite that, it was still a close game throughout the afternoon due to sloppy play.  It was a good thing that the Pens capitalized on the first period, because the game was pretty much 50/50 the rest of the way.

- Point shots continue to be a big factor for the Pens.  The first goal was on account of Lovejoy’s shot from the blue line and the 2^nd was Niskanen’s blast from the point.  Both goals were off of odd bounces/blocks/tips, but the lesson remains the same – when the defensemen are getting pucks to the net, the Pens are going to do well.

- The Pens are (for now) 2 points behind the Rangers with a game against them on Thursday.  The Rangers still play before then, but Thursday’s game will certainly be a massive one, and one where Crosby may come back.  It will be the perfect playoff test as MSG will be rocking, especially if Crosby returns.

Pens Record: 42-21-5, 87 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/15 @ NYR, 7pm

Pens Extend Streak to 8!!

Main Storylines:

- The Pens have won 7 in a row heading into tonight against the Panthers

- Evgeni Malkin’s next point will be his 500^th in the NHL

- Two droughts to watch:  James Neal has gone 8 games without a goal, since the day before he signed his contract extension.  Also, the powerplay has not scored a goal since Letang went out a week ago.

- Paul Martin looks to be out with an “illness” and Simon Despres has been called up to replace him in the lineup.  Before you cheer wildly, here’s a stat for you: Martin is a +6 since he was split up from Michalek (who is a +7 in that time).

Welcome back to the NHL, Simon!

Result:

Pens  2 Panthers  1 (SO)

Goals:  Sullivan (14) from Staal, Dupuis

           SO Goals: Neal, Malkin

               

The Good:

- The Pens tie their season high win streak with their 8^th in a row!  This was also their 8^th win this season when trailing after 2 periods, tying Tampa Bay for the league lead.  The last time the Pens had this many come from behind victories was in 08-09, when they set the franchise record at 11.  We all remember 08-09….

- Evgeni Malkin scored his 8^th shootout goal of the season (tying the franchise high for a season w/ Crosby and Christensen). Remember when he was bad at those?  His was also the 100^th shootout goal in franchise history.  Hooray stats that don’t count for anything!

Shame it couldn't be his 500th point though.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Consol broke out into a total of one “Fleeeurrry” chant tonight.  Weak, crowd, weak.  MAF was a stud in net as usual, stopping 28 of 29 shots and stopping both shootout shots that he faced.  When the Pens couldn’t get anything going in the first period, Flower did his work as usual.  He may not have had any “spectacular” saves tonight, but one might argue that he’s been so solid positionally that he doesn’t have to as much anymore.  FLEURY FLEURY FLEURY!!!

Jordan Staal – Staal assisted on Sullivan’s goal to extend his point streak to a career high 7 games.  He was 15 for 20 in the faceoff circle and he’s definitely the key ingredient to a “2^nd line” that is playing some dominant hockey right now.  Staal’s hands look quick, his skating is strong, and his reach is unbeatable right now.  Just think about how many teams could use him as a #1 center right now.  (I do take away from him a little for losing Fleischmann on the only Panthers goal though, bad Jordan, bad.)

Look at the intensity, the reach, the wonder that is Jordan Staal.

Orpik/Michalek – I can’t emphasize the great play of this pairing enough as of late.  They combined for 4 shots, 8 blocks, 5 hits, and played the full PK time.  Michalek logged 28 minutes and Orpik played 25.  You really can’t ask for any more out of these 2 defensemen right now.  Also, give Orpik a lot of credit for helping Fleury on the partial breakaway stop.  Orpik’s persistence made it impossible for the shooter to make a move or do anything but take a shot into Fleury’s pads.  Textbook defense in that situation.

The Bad:

- Winning is awesome, but the shootouts may hurt the Pens in the end.  This was the 9^th shootout victory for the Pens this season.  The tiebreaker is non-SO wins.  Since we’re chasing the Rangers, note that NY has 39 non-SO wins and the Pens only have 32.  Yeah, losing that tiebreaker.  So while the Pens are only 4 points behind the Rangers, they might as well be 5 points out of first place.

A win's a win...except in the NHL. 

- Matt Niskanen’s ability to hit the net.  On 5 attempts he had 1 shot on net and 4 go wide.  Normally I wouldn’t make a big deal out of this, but a couple of those misses led to breakouts by the Panthers that hurt the Penguins momentum wise in a close game.

- The first line.  Malkin led the team in giveaways, Neal looked like he was pressing a bit, and Kunitz doesn’t seem to be able to contribute as much when the other 2 are off.  This line has definitely gone quiet for the time being.  Give Kunitz some credit though, he was a machine with stick lifts and disrupting plays in the defensive end at least.

The Ugly:

- Neal’s goalless streak extends to 9 games.  Neal looks like he’s trying to be too cute with the puck and trying to be overly impressive.  He needs to just relax and simplify his game.  His shot totals are dropping each game and I’d love to see him get back to just putting the puck on net.

Relax!!!

- Meanwhile, the powerplay continues to be worthless without Letang.  This has combined poorly with Neal's streak of course.  One thing to note though is that Malkin has stopped taking the full 2 minutes on powerplays.  The Pens trotted out a 2nd PP line of Cooke-Staal-Kennedy, with Dupuis-Despres on the points.  Let me spell that out (no offense to Staal and Dupuis who have been scoring very well), but that's 3 defensive guys who are great PKers, a rookie defenseman, and TK who is more likely to hit a fan in the upper level than score right now.  Forget the first PP line, the 2nd has to contribute at some point as well.

- The referees.  I’ll give them credit, they were at least consistent in calling nothing all game, but how is that going to help anything in the game of hockey?  Less PPs, less scoring, more obstruction, TALK ABOUT EXCITING!!

Thoughts:

- As I mentioned, the first line is struggling a bit right now.  I would love to see them broken up, but without touching Dupuis-Staal-Sullivan.  The impetus for this will likely be Crosby’s return.  It’s time to get over the idea that the line cannot be broken up though.  Keep Neal and Malkin together, but find a spark plug in that 3^rd spot (Cooke or Kennedy temporarily maybe?)

- Simon Despres was impressive in his return to Pittsburgh.  The thing that surprises me every time I see him play is just the sheer poise he shows in his game despite youth and lack of experience.  He looks and acts like he’s been there and plays with an incredible amount of confidence.  He’s ready to be here full time.

- Along with Despres, the whole defense has been stepping up a lot on the offensive side.  They combined for 8 shots on net and 8 missed shots as well, but hey, can’t score if you don’t shoot.  The only concern is the odd man breaks it may create (see: Michalek’s shot that was blocked and went for a partial breakaway).  If the D can be patient and smart, they will help a lot with the secondary scoring at this rate.

The downside to an active defense.

- Now begins the most intense part of Crosby watch as we wait to learn when he will come back.  He promised a day’s notice, so maybe we will hear tomorrow.  Personally, I would like to see Crosby wait another week.  The next 4 games: Boston at home, then on the road for NYR, NJ, and Philly for 3 games in 4 days.  After that, home against Wpg and Nash before going to Ott.  My point is this: Sid will still need to get up to game speed – practice only gets you so far.  Let him get up to game speed against lesser opponents, not those that want to decapitate him.  Just my two cents.

Pens Record: 41-21-5, 87 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/11 vs Bos, 12:30pm

Super Duper Comeback!! Pens win!

Main Storylines:

- 66 degrees, for Game #66, on the day #66 has his statue unveiled…Badger Bob was smiling on Pittsburgh today, that’s for sure.

- The Pens enter tonight on a 6 game winning streak…and yet that might be the 3^rd best story going into this game!

- Sidney Crosby has been cleared for contact and has joined the team in full contact drills.  He may return as early as Sunday, though we must wait and see how he holds up against contact in practice first.  The road ahead is not a pretty set of opponents, with a line of Boston-NJ-NYR-Phily on the horizon.  Let’s hope Sid stays safe.

- Meanwhile, off the ice, the statue of Mario Lemieux outside of Consol Energy Center was finally unveiled.  It is presented in a way to mimic a goal against the Isles on Dec 20, 1988 where he split Rich Pilon and Jeff Norton.  At first, I was not a big fan, but after seeing it in person, I think it’s pretty solid looking.  I advise you go see it before you judge it.

How sweet would this look if it was a moving statue...

- James Neal is quietly entering this game on a 7 game goalless streak…which coincides with the signing of his contract extension.  I’m hardly blaming Neal as teams are learning how to defend that line better, but I hope it doesn’t get into his head going down the stretch.

Result:

Pens  3  Leafs  2

Goals:  Dupuis (16) from Niskanen, Staal

            Staal (22) from Orpik, Dupuis

            Dupuis (17) from Sullivan, Lovejoy

               

The Good:

- The Pens extend their streak to 7 in a row!!

- The Leafs are 20-1-1 now when leading after 2 periods.  Both losses?  To the Penguins (who now have more wins than losses when being scored on first, 15 to 14).

- The Dupuis-Staal-Sullivan line is just absurdly dynamic right now.

- Brad Thiessen gets his 2^nd career win in his 2^nd career start, good for him.  It’s nice to be able to win games and give Fleury a break at the same time.

- Tipping the puck.  Both Staal and Dupuis scored goals on nice deflections in front of the net.  They can’t all be perfect shots – whatever it takes to win.

Pascal Dupuis – Figured into all 3 goals, great on the PK as the team had a perfect short-handed effort, and seems to have found his groove again after a small midseason slump.  I have to admit, my first thought is I can’t wait to see him playing like this next to Crosby, but I gotta give Dupuis credit, he is creating chances for himself by going hard to the net and doing the little things right.  Dupuis was all over the ice and clutch on a night when the Pens needed his help.

Dupuis after being told about this Sidney Crosby guy coming back

Jordan Staal – A goal and an assist, 13 for 18 in faceoffs, and attempting 7 shots, I’d say that’s a pretty full game for Staal.  He has found his place as a solid 2^nd line center and is growing into the role every game, which will beg the question of what to do with him when Crosby returns.  Hopefully the Staal haters have gone the way of Fleury haters by now…which is to say non-existent. 

Brooks Orpik / Zbynek Michalek – They aren’t quite the Scuderi/Gill pair from ’09, but they are making a strong push to become that.  The pair combined for 6 blocked shots, 3 takeaways, 0 giveaways, 5 hits (all Orpik of course), and 4 mins of perfect PK time each.  This is definitely the pair I trust at the end of a close game like tonight and they are beginning to gel together very nicely.  It’s safe to say both are playing their best hockey of the season right now.

The Bad:

- The powerplay has not scored since Letang went out with a concussion and has actually given up a few quality chances going the other way.  Point play needs to tighten up for the PP to warm up.

- Going down 2-0 to a team like Toronto is simply unacceptable.  The Pens luckily have enough talent to come back in such a game, especially against a team with 2 wins in 14 games, and especially when that team is playing their 2^nd game in as many nights, but the Pens can’t spot good teams a lead like that.  They did dominate the shots early, getting off to a 9-1 start, but it’s the scoreboard that matters.

The Ugly:

- The Leafs first goal was scored after Thiessen got run over.  Two points to make on why this isn’t goalie interference.  1) Thiessen was out of the crease and didn’t hold his position first.  2) Orpik shoved the Leafs player into him.  While I think the call on the ice was right, it’s frustrating when Kunitz has goals disallowed for breathing inside the offensive zone.

James Neal – His goalless streak extends to 8 games and a couple minor penalties to boot did not help his case.  I would love to see a fluke goal for him right now before he turns into a head case, but Neal is historically a strong first half player and slows down in the second half, so beware.

This picture just sums up his slump right now.

Thoughts:

- “How many goals do you need (to hold on to a lead with the Penguins)?”  “6 or 7…with about 4 or 5 minutes to go” – Paul Maurice on NHL Tonight.

- I’d love to send Tangradi back down to WBS as soon as Jeffrey is no longer ill or Sid is activated.  Tangradi doesn’t need to be a healthy scratch or on the “taxi squad” with this team.  He needs to play to grow and develop.  While I have generally soured on him like many have, I still want to see him get the best opportunity to succeed, and sitting in a press box in Consol isn’t it.

- Since Michalek and Martin were split up, Michalek’s ice time has been trending up and Martin’s has been trending down.  It’s especially intriguing with Letang out, seeing how Martin only got 19 minutes tonight (though he did miss the morning skate).  Seems like confidence is finally dictating playing time (and look at the results in the W-L column)

- The Leafs emphatically tried to neutralize Malkin’s line with Dion Phaneuf (and it pretty much worked).  Phaneuf started the game, and immediately skated to the bench since the Vitale line started for the Pens.  The Leafs worked for that match up all night and it did the job, though Jordan Staal’s line said eff that and won the game on their own.  As the first line quiets down, which is expected because how could they possibly keep such a torrid pace, Bylsma is going to have to work to get favorable matchups and maybe change the line combinations to spark his top players when they need it.  I will not be surprised if Neal-Malkin-Kunitz is broken up very soon, with or without Crosby’s return.

I guess this is one way to slow down Malkin.

 Pens Record: 40-21-5, 85 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/9 vs Fla, 7pm