Don't Panic Yet, Pens Lose.

Main Storylines:

- The Pens took a physical beating against NJ over the weekend and will be without Ben Lovejoy (out 3-4 weeks, arthroscopic surgery on his knee) and Kris Letang (day to day w/ lower body injury).  Brian Strait and Simon Despres have been called up and enter the lineup tonight.  Steve Sullivan also returns at the expense of Dustin Jeffrey’s spot.

- The Pens have beaten the Isles 13 straight times at home, their longest streak against any team.  This game is the first in a home and home series where the Pens will be on Long Island on Thursday. 

- First place will be potentially and perhaps temporarily available for the Pens.  The Rangers are in action against the Wild tonight and the Pens are just 1 point behind New York.

Result:

Isles 5  Pens  3

Goals:  Kennedy (10) from Dupuis, Strait

            Neal (36) from Kunitz, Malkin

            Neal (37) (PP) from Malkin, Sullivan

Stats/Milestones:

- Pascal Dupuis extended his career high scoring streak to 11 games with the assist on TK’s goal and added to his career high point total, making it 51

- Brain Strait recorded his first point in the NHL on the TK goal as well

- Neal continues to add to his career high point total, which is now at 78.

The Good:

- Well…James Neal is still awesome…and Thiessen didn’t allow any goals in his only period of action…

Even Neal can't smile during losses to the Isles.

James Neal – The real deal piled up 12 shots on net to get his 2 goals, 1 of those being on the powerplay.  He really loves that spot at the bottom of the faceoff circle to a goaltender’s left side, and I’m starting to wonder if anyone will ever actually defend it.  While no one does though, Neal shall continue to play like a stud and put up goals for the Pens.  He’s just 3 shy of 40 now.

The Bad:

- The Pens put up a season high 54 shots but only managed 3 goals…not quite the shooting percentage you want to see. 

- The defense had yet another lackluster game, and in all honesty it was probably their 5^th subpar showing in a row for their talent.  Even with Letang, Niskanen, and Lovejoy hurt, this team runs a better system and has better defensive forwards than it would appear right now.  More on this in the thoughts.

- This will sound rather crazy, but I actually think Bylsma got outcoached in some ways this game.  The Islanders were looking to intercept stretch passes from the defense from the first minute of the game and the Pens never adjusted to it.  90% of the time, the Pens will dictate the play with how Bylsma wants to run the game, but they seemed very reactionary in this game, even when it was tied at 2.

The Ugly:

- The goaltenders got rocked tonight, mostly in a physical sense.  Both Fleury and Nabokov were pulled after 2 periods for various reasons.  Fleury got run over twice – once by Nielsen and once by Paul Martin, and he also took a slapshot off of the mask.  Meanwhile, Nabokov also got run over twice and looked uncomfortable through much of the 2^nd period.  Montoya did not fare much better in Nabokov’s relief as he got run into twice as well.  Hopefully everyone escaped healthy.

Great play was rewarded with a physical beating.

Thoughts:

- First off, give both Isles goalies a tremendous amount of credit for how well they played.  Nabokov looked extremely confident and challenged shooters incredibly well.  Honestly, he looked more fearless than any goalie the Pens have faced in over a month.  He made a ton of great saves in the first 2 periods and then Montoya came in to rob Malkin and Dupuis from making a game of it.  The Isles definitely came ready to play.

- On that note, the Pens, much like their fans, seem to have gotten caught up in the hype of being an offensive juggernaut that will rarely if ever be stopped.  The team’s play as a whole has turned from safe and sounds to high risk/high reward.  With a team this talented, reward will be the likely outcome as we have seen over the past month.  However, it has led to a complete loss of fundamentals.  That loss of fundamentals has in turn led to less puck possession and lackluster coverage in the defensive zone.  Guess what, you can’t make those high risk / high reward plays if you don’t have the puck to begin with.  Forwards are missing their defensive assignments, defenders are getting caught moving towards the puck instead of staying in position; this team has basically taken the mentality of go take the puck, skate it up, make pretty plays, and score.  They have to get back to their defensive fundamentals, especially in terms of positioning and patience, because that is the key to causing turnovers and getting odd man breaks the other way.  If I’m Dan Bylsma, I’m livid with how this team has been leaning on its skill more than its hockey IQ to win games.  This needs to change immediately.

- With that being said, I felt that one of the best dmen tonight was actually Brian Strait.  He looked physically outmatched and a half step slow at times, but he was definitely sticking to the system and keeping everything simple.  It’s a lesson the veteran defensemen could use right now.

- One thing to keep an eye on as we hit the postseason, the PK has been fantastic, but it is a very different creature when Michalek is not on the ice.  He makes a huge difference in coverage down low around the crease.  It was Martin and Engelland on when the Isles scored their powerplay goal tonight.

I realize we're a man down, but this should never happen on the PK.

- Looking at the standings, the Pens are now 3 points behind the Rangers, who are clearly in the driver’s seat to win the Conference.  Both teams have played the same amount of games, as have the Flyers who are 4 points behind the Pens.  The Pens would not win a tie-breaker with either team, so tonight’s loss basically shifted the importance of the Rangers game towards the 2 matchups left with the Flyers instead.  Of course, all of this can change on any given night where all 3 teams play, but the focus right now is definitely keep 4^th at least.

- The Pens have an interesting stretch of games coming up this weekend – at the Isles on Thurs, at Buffalo on Fri and then back home for Philly.  Fleury is pretty much unbeatable after getting pulled, so I am guessing he gets to start on Thursday.  That means Thiessen or Johnson will likely get Friday against a very hot Buffalo team trying to make the playoffs so that Fleury is fresh for Sunday against the Flyers.  Looking ahead, I will not be shocked with a Friday night loss.

Pens Record: 47-23-6, 100 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/29 @ NYI, 7pm

Defense Optional, Pens Let Up 8 in a Loss.

Main Storylines:

- Brad Thiessen gets the start tonight as Fleury rests up for a big Atlantic Division matchup against the Devils tomorrow.

- With the Rangers losing to the Sabres last night, the Pens have a chance to take over 1^st place in the Conference tonight.  The Rangers do play the Leafs though, so no matter what happens the Pens will have one less game played after tonight and be in striking distance of 1^st.

- Tangradi and Lovejoy get back into the lineup as Park gets a healthy scratch and Niskanen sits out with an upper body injury.  Vitale remains hurt as well.

Result:

Sens 8  Pens 4

Goals:  Cooke (18) from Engelland

            Cooke (19) from Crosby, Martin

            Kennedy (9) from Sullivan, Staal

            Crosby (3) from Asham, Dupuis

Stats/Milestones:

- Matt Cooke added to his career high goals total, making it 19 now.  He’s had 7 goals in his last 6 games with Crosby.

How do you score over a 6'7 goalie??

- Pascal Dupuis added an assist to extend his career high scoring streak to 9 games

               

The Good:

- The game is over and the Pens get a chance to rebound immediately against the Devils at home tomorrow night.

- Honorable mention to Engelland and Lovejoy, who didn’t do anything spectacular, but I felt played very solid and responsible games on a night where no one else felt like doing that.  Also, it was very nice to see Sid get his first goal in his 2nd comeback.

One of the rare reasons for everyone to smile tonight.

Matt Cooke – Another 2 goal game for Cooke, his 3^rd since Crosby’s return, has him vying to become the 6^th Penguin to hit the 20 goal mark this season.  He pretty much has kept it simple with Sid, either going directly to the net or getting the puck to the net.  It’s a shame he got called for a complete BS penalty, but that hardly nullifies his new found scoring prowess.

The Bad:

- Forwards in their own end.  Everyone got caught up with watching the puck in the zone on three of the Ottawa goals.  There were signs of this in the Nashville game as the Preds certainly had their chances from in close.  The Pens are going to have to start watching closer for players on the backside sneaking in looking for passes.

- The powerplay.  Ottawa played a very energetic and aggressive large box setup against the Pens and it disrupted them completely.  The powerplay couldn’t complete passes, got very few chances, and allowed a shorthanded breakaway goal to Daniel Alfredsson as well.  This powerplay is simply too talented to get caught by Ottawa’s aggressiveness like they did.  We need to see more instinct and less thinking in those situations.

- Odd Man Rushes.  The Pens allowed a disgustingly high amount of odd man breaks and breakaways to the Sens.  Thiessen surely didn’t bail them out on anything, but the defensive was pretty much horrible in providing support.  There were 2 breakaway goals and 2 odd man rush goals against the Pens tonight.  That’s absolutely pathetic.  You can add another goal to that list where an Ottawa player skated in 1 on 3, got through 3 Penguins, and slid the puck over to a wide over Alfredsson.  A horrible effort on defense by the Pens.

A goal celebration covering half the zone shouldn't be this devoid of Penguins.

- Steve Sullivan left at some point in the late 2^nd or early 3^rd period (I didn’t catch when clearly).  Reports seem to be that whatever injury has is minor, but we shall see tomorrow.

This is the last play I recall seeing Sullivan, maybe overextended something?

The Ugly:

- The anthems before the game were seriously horrendous.  The singer sounded like Ms. Piggy, botched the words, and held both anthems out to a total of over 6 minutes.  She even paused at one portion to ask the crowd to get into it.  The Pens bench was laughing the whole time and it was seriously just an embarrassment to both countries.  I won’t even give you a youtube link because you deserve better than that.

- The Penalty Kill was uncharacteristically inattentive tonight.  Both powerplay goals were scored on cross-ice passes where the Pens simply weren’t watching the backside.  There was just a serious lack of focus by the Pens in the defensive end.  I am just going to call it a lapse in judgment for the night and leave it at that.

Orpik/Michalek – By far the worst pairing of the night, they put up a -4 and simply never got to their styles.  Orpik wasn’t very physical and got caught in the offensive zone a few times, including on Spezza’s breakaway from his own blue line.  Meanwhile, Michalek was wandering too far away from the crease looking for stick checks and checks instead of doing his usual good job of blocking passes and shooting lanes.  Both players simply did not stick to their strengths and Thiessen is the one who paid for it.

Uh yeah, one of you should probably cover the future Hall of Famer.

Brad Thiessen – Speaking of Thiessen, his effort wasn’t exactly sharp either.  He had issues controlling rebounds and simply looked small in the net.  I can’t blame him solely for this game as the Pens gave him no help, but he also has to come up with a couple more big stops along the way.  20 saves on 28 shots looks bad for pretty much anyone.

Thoughts:

- I didn’t want to see Bishop injured for Ottawa necessarily, but after the major dive he took when Cooke skated past him, you couldn’t help but think the Hockey Gods were getting him back for that move.  Especially since Ottawa scored on that powerplay they never should have had.

- This team can clearly score.  This team clearly has a Cup winning goalie in Fleury.  But the defensive effort over the past week has been all over the place.  Winning the Cup requires defensive consistency just as much as goaltending and probably moreso than scoring.  So while this team can light it up, the kind of effort they showed tonight is the type of effort the Caps showed in previous years with early exits in the playoffs.  This needs to be fixed immediately.

- The Pens looked more tired/sluggish than the Senators did today even though Ottawa played last night.  With the Sens slumping, I wonder if the team got caught being a little too excited about the Nashville win and looking ahead to NJ tomorrow night.

- Everyone get over Thiessen getting the start.  The argument that the Pens could get first place is not a reason to start Fleury for every game for the rest of the season.  The playoffs are more important than first place, so Fleury will need to sit sometimes.  He will likely sit March 29^th as well.  Johnson looks to be healthy again, so I’m pretty sure this was Thiessen’s last start and Johnson will get the nod on Thursday.  Regardless, if Fleury goes out in the playoffs, all is lost anyways.  So protect him, not a chance at first place.

Guess what, not many goalies are stopping one timers from the crease

Pens Record: 46-22-6, 98 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/25 vs NJ, 7pm

Pens Outgun the Jets, Win 8-4!

Main Storylines:

- The Pens are coming off a heartbreaking, no, enraging defeat at the hands of the Flyers with .9 seconds left in overtime.  It was the end of an 11 game win streak, though points have still been earned in 12 straight now (11-0-1, duh).

- Brad Thiessen gets the start tonight after Fleury started 3 games in 4 days.  There is still no word on what is going on with Brent Johnson, not that I’m sure anyone seems to care anymore.

- Crosby is making his return to home ice which will give a boost to the Pens crowd.  Speaking of the crowd, the Jets have chanted “Crosby’s Better” at Ovechkin and “Jordan’s Better” at Eric Staal in their past 2 games, so what will Pens fans do for the Jets?

Result:

Pens  8  Jets 4

Goals:  Kennedy (7) from Crosby, Cooke

            Neal (33) (PP) from Malkin, Crosby

            Neal (34) from Malkin

            Kennedy (8) from Crosby, Cooke

            Malkin (42) from Crosby, Martin

            Neal (35) from Malkin, Orpik

            Malkin (43) from Kunitz, Neal

            Dupuis (21) from Staal, Sullivan

We let Kennedy score?? Twice?? Why have they said Kennedy 4 times?!?

               

The Good:

- Everything offense!  The Pens earned their 12^th win in 13 games, extended their points streak (12-0-1) and simply outgunned the Jets in a shootout (like the old fashioned high scoring shootout games, not the skills competition that ends overtime games).

- Milestones:  Malkin scored his 200^th career goal.  Dupuis scored his career high 21^st goal and extended a career high 7 game points streak.  Neal had a career high 4 points in one game.  Malkin and Crosby matched their combined career high of 9 points in a game together.  The Pens won their 8^th straight game at Consol, a new record for the arena.  Brad Thiessen is now 3-0 in his first 3 starts.

- The Pens became the highest scoring team in the NHL after this game (imagine if we had a winger for Sid!) and are now 2^nd in goal differential to only Boston.

- It was fantastic seeing Tyler Kennedy finally get out of his slump.  The emotion he showed after that first goal was priceless, though not as cool as when Dustin Byfuglien mimicked ripping a monkey off of his own back last year (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kaCxtmP1ec). 

TK just needed a little "release' to get his game going...

James Neal – For anyone that was worried about his 2^nd half slump or post-contract doldrums (I will be the first to admit I belong on this list), set your worries aside.  Neal picked up garbage goals and beautiful goals all the same in recording his 2^nd career hat trick and 1^st ever 4 point night.  He even registered a game high 10 shots.  My only complaint would be that he needs to shoot more on the powerplay, yes – despite having 10 shots, but that would be more constructive criticism than anything.  You can now add me to the list of people who can’t wait to see him record goal #40 soon.

Sidney Crosby – Sure, his shooting is still off, but is any other player in the world capable of looking this good without scoring?!? After turning Cooke into a repeat 2 goal scorer last week, Crosby set up Tyler Kennedy for 2 easy goals in the slot tonight.  Yes, that Tyler Kennedy – the one that misses the net by 15 feet from the slot.  Cooke and Kennedy suddenly make up a line that is putting up points like a first line with Crosby.  Crosby also added a nice assist on Malkin’s 200^th goal and yet another on a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Malkin, who easily set up an uncovered Neal for a PP goal.  His creativity and passing ability is just unbelievable after missing 40 games.

"Who are you and how did you make that pass?!?"

Evgeni Malkin – Nothing like a 5 point night to give you a HUGE lead for the Art Ross trophy, and most likely the Hart as well.  Malkin scored his 200^th career goal with his parents in attendance, much to the delight of his rapidly fist pumping dad.  He was all smiles through most of the game, at least after an inadvertent double minor he took for high sticking.  Malkin is clearly just having a ball playing with an abundance of talent on his line and with Sid back.  He truly looks like he’s having a great time just playing a game, and his play has been phenomenal because of it.

The Bad:

- Goaltending was shaky at best for both teams.  The Thrashers had to pull Pavelec and Thiessen looked a little less than reliable, though he did get the win anyways.

Pavelec wasn't the first and won't be the last to feel this way against the Pens.

Brad Thiessen – Thiessen did enough to get the win, but didn’t look sharp right off the first shot against, where he fought the puck off awkwardly rather than gloving it.  Something about the Jets clearly ends any chance of defense being played, but Thiessen’s play made it clear that he is a backup at best and can’t handle games where the defense doesn’t play well.  He was well protected in his first 2 wins, but he seemed very exposed in this one.  Let’s face it, if Fleury goes down, we’re screwed either way, but I have more faith in Brent Johnson getting hot than I do Thiessen.

Paul Martin – Talk was abound about the fact that Martin had gotten himself back to an Even +/- rating, and then he went out and reverted back to his awful play from the first half of the season.  Wait, he was +1 tonight.  Oh, there is your main argument for +/- being worthless.  Admittedly, I put a lot of stock into that stat because as a defenseman, I’ve always wanted to claim being a plus player.  Martin can do that tonight, but it is certainly not because of anything he did.  He was on the ice for 3 of the Jets goals, getting completely burned twice and not tying up a man on the crease on the 3^rd one.  It wasn’t just that he was on the ice for goals against, but they were largely his fault.  Hopefully this abysmal game was just a fluke from what has been very stellar play over the past month.

One of 5 pics I found with Martin and a Jets goal celebration tonight.

Zbynek Michalek – Maybe Michalek and Martin just spent too much time reminiscing before the game, but Michalek also had trouble staying in position and keeping up with the Jets forwards.  He did manage a +2, but he made no contribution to the offense as he looked hesitant to jump up on pucks near the blue line.  He also went down on a couple of occasions to block shots in situations where the Jets were ready for it and moved around him.  Again, hopefully just a fluke after a very stellar month of play.

Craig Adams – After giving it all in the game against Philly, Adams looked a little off tonight.  His physical game never really got started against a quick set of Winnipeg forwards and they made him pay for it a couple of times as he was a -2 and was on for a powerplay goal against.  It’s very rare to see Adams have a game where he is this off, so I’m not worried about it at all. 

The Ugly:

- The defense for both teams was simply atrocious, bordering on non-existent.  These games are fun to watch, especially when the Pens have so much offensive talent, but that better be a blip on the radar that disappears.

Thoughts:

- The powerplay has pretty much taken on a Jekyl and Hyde type personality.  The first powerplay was awful with way too much passing and no one looking to the net.  The second powerplay was simply gorgeous, registering tons of shots and a goal.  I believe the key to the powerplay is going to be that everyone needs to stay within their roles.  Crosby is pass first, Malkin can pass or shoot, those 2 can be trusted to do their jobs.  Kunitz has to stay in front, and Neal has to shoot every chance he gets.  That 5^th spot, Sullivan or Letang, needs to distribute the puck enough to keep the other guys going, but also take enough shots to keep defenders honest.  It sounds simple, and seems obvious, but the worst powerplays are when one of those guys ditches their role.

It would probably help if Crosby opened his eyes too.

- I miss Joe Vitale.  His energy and effort are a huge spark plug on the 4^th line and Asham-Adams-Tangradi simply don’t have the speed that he has to be an immediate game changer.  The loss of Vitale isn’t a huge deal to a team this talented, but he is more valuable than people realize – mostly when it comes to energy and faceoffs.

- Brent Johnson has been skating before team practices, but there is no timetable for him, and really no information on what is keeping him out.  I would love to see him get healthy enough for a start or 2 before the playoffs, but who knows what we will see.  I have not forgotten how poorly he has played this season, but I would prefer his veteran presence and experience over Thiessen’s play.

Will BJ save this?  Probably not.  But he'll punch you out for questioning him.

- Crosby has 19 assists and is a +14 in 12 games this season.  Just wow.

He has this whole team in disbelief right now.

Pens Record: 45-21-6, 96 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  3/22 vs Nas, 7pm

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

Pens Head to the Trade Deadline Content with Winning

Main Storylines:

- Brad Thiessen will make his NHL debut today, getting the start against Columbus.  This will give Ray Shero a last look at a potential backup before the trade deadline.  The trade deadline is Monday at 3pm EST.

- Arron Asham will not play in today’s game after hurting himself delivering a hit yesterday.  Dustin Jeffrey will enter the lineup for him.

- Though it has nothing to do with the Penguins, all eyes will be on Rick Nash as he potentially plays his last game with Columbus.  Nash is easily the best player that could move before the deadline tomorrow.

Columbus fans made the trek to Pittsburgh to potentially see their captain off.

- Dan Bylsma is going for career win #150 and he could be the 4^th quickest coach to achieve that mark with a win today.

Result:

Pens  4  Blue Jackets  2

Goals:  Malkin (37) (PP) from Neal, Sullivan

            Dupuis (15) from Sullivan, Staal

            Letang (9) (PP) from Park, Cooke

            Vitale (4) from Tangradi, Cooke

               

The Good:

- Congrats to Brad Thiessen for his 1^st NHL win in his 1^st career start and congrats to Dan Bylsma on his 150^th career regular season win!

- The powerplay had another solid day, scoring on 2 out of 5 chances.  A black mark for that short-handed goal allowed though.

Pascal Dupuis – Dupuis has been playing very well since the line of him, Staal, and Sulivan was put together.  All 3 did their part on Dupuis’ goal with Staal committing to the forecheck, Sullivan getting the puck, and both of them causing traffic to give Dupuis room to take the shot and score.  His speed and increase in scoring have been a great complement to the second line.

Dupuis wasn't fazed by Sanford's raspberry freeze pop pads

Matt Cooke – Cooke has also seen his play improve over the past few weeks as he added a couple assists today and has looked very good on the 2^nd PP.  He screened goalie Curtis Sanford perfectly, allowing Letang to score his PP goal easily.  Cooke also played very well on the PK as usual, getting his stick on a couple passes and helping the PK unit go perfect on the day.

Kris Letang – Letang’s offense has slowed down as of late, but he still managed to score 2 PP goals, even if one didn’t count today.  He also has acted very responsibly on defense with Paul Martin as his partner.  Letang may not be jumping up as much to score, but his commitment to defense is one of the biggest reasons why the Pens have only allowed 3 goals in their past 3 games.

The Bad:

- Sullivan’s blatant turnover breaking the powerplay out of the zone led to Nash’s short-handed breakaway and goal.  He made up for it with 2 assists in the game, but that was just a senseless play to give the Blue Jackets the early momentum and lead.

The Ugly:

- Kunitz had 2 goals waived off.  One for kicking the puck in, where there was no distinct kicking motion that anyone could see.  Another for goalie interference, where Sanford came out of his crease and pushed Kunitz.  I understand the first one just because it was called no goal on the ice, so it’s harder to overturn.  The second one was flat out ridiculous.  Even Sanford said afterwards that he was surprised the goal was waived off.

Thoughts:

- Shero told the media that he still doesn’t have a timetable for Crosby, but he won’t make a trade that relates to his cap space in any way.  He’s happy with Johnson as a backup and isn’t looking to add another.  And he isn’t close to making any moves, he’s happy with the roster as is.  I’m guessing a minor league deal will happen, maybe a depth move for the big team, but don’t expect much.

Looks like Thiessen will remain 3rd on the depth chart, and it will still be behind Johnson.

- Paul Martin looked pretty good today, only having one major gaffe as he got blown past on a semi-breakaway which Thiessen stopped.  He has certainly seen fewer goals against when paired with Letang, but Letang has also contributed less 5 on 5, so it’s an interesting trade off.  I’d still rather see Martin with Engelland I think.

- It was nice to see Eric Tangradi get a point today and get some PP time as he played pretty well with his 8 minutes of ice time.  He moved a spot up on the depth chart it looks like as Dustin Jeffrey only played 6:34 and was the low man on the list.  This is definitely a hard lineup to get minutes with at this point, which is why I don’t anticipate much of a move at the trade deadline for the Pens.

- Not a Pens thought, but it was a rough debut for Jack Johnson with the Blue Jackets.  Malkin's goal deflected in off of his shin and he screened Sanford on the Dupuis goal.  Thanks for the help Johnson!

Pens Record: 36-21-5, 77 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East

Next Game:  2/29 @ Dal, 7:30pm

We'll Miss You, Tampa. Pens Win!

Main Storylines:

- Brad Thiessen has returned to the team to back up Fleury again after Brent Johnson hurt himself in practice on Thursday.  Expect a lot of rumors about trading for a backup goalie as we hit the trade deadline on Monday.

- Fresh off of his recent contract extension, James Neal will be the subject of the next NHL 36, which is the NHL’s show that follows a player for 36 hours in HBO’s 24/7 style.  Cameras will be following him around this weekend.  The episode will air for the first time on March 7^th, at 6:30 on NBC Sports Network.

- Orpik is returning to action after missing a game with an upper body injury.  Lovejoy goes back to his normal spot as a healthy scratch.

Result:

Pens  8  Lightning  1

Goals:  Kunitz (17) from Malkin, Neal

            Cooke (12) from Vitale, Michalek

            Staal (20) (SH), unassisted

            Staal (21) (PP) from Sullivan, Neal

            Malkin (34) from Kunitz, Engelland

            Malkin (35) from Niskanen

            Malkin (36) (PP) from Neal, Sullivan

            Dupuis (14) from Staal, Sullivan

               

The Good:

- The Pens put up a ridiculous 8 goals for the 3^rd time this season, absolutely demolishing the Lightning in the process.  Only 2 players were not a plus on the day.  11 players figured into the scoring.

- Bounces were simply amazing for the Pens, starting with Cooke’s goal, where the puck bounced in the air and landed right on his stick in the slot.  It continued as Jordan Staal got a short-handed breakaway goal because a linesman kicked the puck to him and then interfered with Hedman.  The Pens got a lot of weird breaks in this one.

Better believe Staal was laughing about the assist from the linesman.

- The powerplay was a perfect 2 for 2, scoring on a 4 on 3 and a 5 on 4 chance.

- A shoutout to Eric Tangradi here, who played a very solid 10 minutes, using his body to maintain puck possession and dishing out 3 hits. 

- Another strong game by mostly everyone, so I’ll just highlight a choice few:

Evgeni Malkin – A year ago, Bruce Boudreau told his locker room that Malkin could be knocked off of his game easily if you hit him a few times.  A year ago, that was true.  Today, Dwayne Roloson shoved Malkin in the face.  Today, Malkin scored 3 goals and added an assist to humiliate Tampa Bay and demonstrate to the league that he is the leading candidate for MVP.

Marc-Andre Fleury – Lost in all of the goal support was the fact that Fleury had a marvelous game, stopping 3 breakaways in the 2^nd period and making 34 saves overall.  His athleticism and reaction time were on display all game.  His numbers may not be pure in suggesting a Vezina nomination, but anyone who has watched him play or watched his highlight reel today realizes that he deserves the credit.

Fleury looking the puck directly into his pads, just like on the other 3 breakaways too.

Brooks Orpik – Day to day with a body injury turned into Orpik putting up a team leading +3 with a team leading 5 blocked shots.  He was positionally sound all game, and honestly, I didn’t notice him most of the game, which is a huge compliment to his play.  He began the game with Michalek and they were paired mostly against Stamkos who put up a big 0 points.  So kudos to Orpik on a strong return after a game off.

- Also exceptional games from Staal (2g, 1a), Sullivan (3a), and Neal (3a)

The Bad:

- Though it was a strong game by Fleury, and a great game by the offense, the defense had its issues at times, namely allowing 4 breakaways on Fleury.  Thanks to the stellar goalie, none led to a goal.  However, Martin/Letang were on for 3 of those, and Martin/Michalek was the pairing for the 4^th.  Martin did have some good shifts, so I won’t beat him up here, but you do the math.

The Ugly:

- Nothing to report here again!

  

Thoughts:

- Not only has Malkin’s play improved, but I am very impressed with his maturity.  As I mentioned in the good, he is no longer thrown off by frequent attacks, but it now fuels him to play better.  That’s a very Crosby-like way to handle things and it speaks a lot to Malkin’s character right now.

Malkin simply staring down Roloson after his 1st goal. 

- As impressive as Malkin looked, give some credit to Tampa’s defense for being awful, especially on Malkin’s Lemieux-like highlight reel 2^nd goal.  I take nothing away from Geno, it was an amazing goal.  But watching the replays, he had his head down watching the puck for most of his stick-handling.  Eric Lindros used to do that too… Had any of the Lightning defenders had the awareness or guts to knock Malkin off the puck, that goal doesn’t come close to happening.  If Scott Stevens is defending him, Malkin is probably concussed.

- Kris Letang had 0 points tonight.  How often do you think Letang will put up 0 points in a game where the Pens score 8 goals?  I’m still kinda surprised by it.

- After the Pens went up 3-0, I was hoping a little bit that Thiessen would go in for Fleury just to get some time in.  I realize that was unrealistic, but I really hope Thiessen gets the start tomorrow against Columbus.  Shero shouldn’t go into the deadline without at least getting one more look at what we have at backup goalie.

- Thank you Dwayne Roloson for bringing all of that upon yourself.

I see the issue Roloson...you should probably try looking at the puck.

  

Pens Record: 35-21-5, 75 pts, 2^nd in the Atlantic, 4^th in the East (with Philly playing tonight still)

Next Game:  2/26 vs Cls, 1pm