Can't Win Them All, Penguins Lose Another

Main Storylines:

Pictured: Immeasurable goaltending wisdom

• A little self-plug to start: My thoughts on the Fleury-Vokoun debate and goaltending statistics in general:  http://thehockeywriters.com/fleury-vs-vokoun-how-much-do-goalie-statistics-matter
• Kris Letang was placed on the IR and Joe Morrow was called up as insurance for the defense.  Letang is eligible to return on Wednesday though.
• Tomas Vokoun and Johan Hedberg get the start in a battle of the backups
• The Penguins are wearing their dark blue jerseys to the chagrin of everyone
• Joe Vitale is a healthy scratch (after taking 2 boarding penalties on Saturday) and Dustin Jeffrey returns to the lineup on the 4th line
• Matt Cooke is playing in his 900th career game

Result:

Devils 3  Pens 1

Goals:  Neal (8) (PP) from Kunitz, Malkin

ESPN Recap:  http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442644

Stats:

• Sidney Crosby went 19 for 24 in faceoffs (Malkin 7 for 14, Sutter 8 for 15, Jeffrey 0 for 2)
• Tyler Kennedy received a boost in play, getting 13 minutes of ice time
• Evgeni Malkin led the team with 5 shots

The Good:

Winning puck battles, that's what Pascal Dupuis does

• Evgeni Malkin:  After getting a little too involved in Saturday’s loss, Malkin played a steady game and helped set up the Penguins’ only goal.  He had a few great scoring chances but was stymied all night by Johan Hedberg who made some fantastic saves.  It was a good bounce-back game for Malkin even if there wasn’t a ton of offensive production with it.
• Pascal Dupuis:  Dupuis continued his strong series of games with great defensive work as usual.  He also drew two penalties: one on Gionta for interference and one by forcing Volchenkov into a delay of game with a hard forecheck.  He may not be adding a ton to the scoresheet right now, but Dupuis is a big reason that the top line has a strong +/- and he’s giving the team opportunities to score.

The Bad:

• Simon Despres:  As the rollercoaster that is Simon Despres continues, he went a little downhill in the second game against the Devils.  Puck handling was the root of his problem as he lost it in the defensive zone at least three times.  To his credit though, his recovery efforts after he makes a mistake are improving.  Keep learning Simon, you’ll get there.
• Paul Martin:  The first appearance by Martin in the bad section this season will likely be a short stay.  Martin looked a little sluggish, tired, and like he was trying to do a little too much for the Penguins.  He had some sweeping poke checks that were missing their mark badly and he was at fault for losing the puck at the offensive blue line as Kovalchuk took it to score the Devils’ 2nd goal.  Martin definitely looks like he could use a day off right now.

The Ugly:

Pictured: The Penalty Kill.

• Penalty Kill:  The PK went 0 for 1 but that isn’t necessarily why they are on here.  It’s because of the manner they went 0 for 1.  After killing off 8 out of 10 penalties on Saturday, one would think the Pens would have had the book on the Devils’ PP.  Instead, the Penguins reverted back to the passive box they used in the Islanders loss (which seems forever ago).  Stuck in the passive box, there was no resistance to the original shot on Vokoun and no one to tie up Clarkson on the crease when he went after the rebound.  I will never understand giving an opposing forward the whole crease and slot to work with uncontested, especially when it’s David Clarkson.

+/- Assessment:

• 1st GA (Clarkson): - for Engelland (pinches in zone, gets caught too far)
• 2nd GA (Kovalchuk): - for Martin (giveaway at offensive blue line)
• 3rd GA (Clarkson): - for Neal (penalty), Orpik (miles away from the crease)
• 1st GF (Neal): + for Martin (breakout pass), Malkin (finds Kunitz in slot), Kunitz (passes over to Neal), Neal (goal)
• Season +/-:  Click here for the Season +/- Spreadsheet

Thoughts:

Good work Boychuk, infiltrate their bench.

• New Jersey Devils:  While I generally just pick apart what the Penguins do in every post-game analysis, I have to give New Jersey credit for an impressive game. The Devils took advantage of the few opportunities they had, and were absolutely dominant at times in the offensive zone as they cycled the puck.  This is one of those losses where there is no point in being mad; the other team just played a very well-executed game.  They also did a wonderful job of attacking the points on the ice where the Penguins usually run their breakouts.  People may want to complain about the trap since it’s New Jersey, but with their pursuit and puck possession, the Devils did a hell of a lot more than trap. Also give Johan "Moose" Hedberg a lot of credit for showing some amazing anticipation and playing great.
• Vitale Scratched:  This move was likely because Vitale took two boarding penalties on Saturday, but I found it to be a misguided switch.  Vitale has provided so much energy to this team and has worked so well with Glass and Adams that I thought he was a fixture in this lineup by now.  The Pens certainly could have used that energy and speed as the Devils took the game over for large amounts of time.  I’m glad Jeffrey got back in the lineup, but I’m not sure Vitale was the right scratch.
• 2nd Line Wing:  Give Boychuk credit, he is developing chemistry with Malkin and the two had some very nice passing plays.  If it wasn’t for Hedberg’s excellent work, Boychuk would probably have had an assist or two.  However, Hedberg did play excellent and Boychuk still isn’t producing quite as much as I would like to see.  I’m still onboard with putting Jeffrey back on the 2nd line for a game or two.  I’m not saying give up on Boychuk by any means, but someone has to earn that spot eventually, right?
• Defenseman Injury Report:  Niskanen has been skating and said he was still a couple days away.  While he might be ready for Wed, it’s far from a sure thing yet.  Letang was placed on the IR retroactive to Tuesday, so he will be eligible to return on for Wed if he is ready.  I have seen reports ranging from “lower body injury” to “groin injury”.  If it’s a groin injury, give Letang extra days to rest because that type of nagging injury can derail his whole season with how he plays.  The young guys are playing well enough for the Pens to take their time right now.

Pens Record: 8-5-0, 16 pts

Next Game:  2/13 vs Ott, 7pm

Penguins Watch Loss From the Penalty Box

Main Storylines:

• The Penguins enter this game on a 5 game winning streak. Crosby is on a 6 game point streak
• Martin Brodeur is playing in his 1200th game
• Kris Letang did not make the trip to NJ so the lineup remains the same as last game
• Matt Niskanen has been skating separately but there is no timetable for his return
• Former Penguin Tomas Sandstrom was elected to the Swedish Hockey Hall of Fame

Result:

Devils 3  Pens 1

Goals:  Sutter (3) (PP) from Despres, Kennedy

ESPN Recap:  http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442629

Stats:

• The Pens took 12 minor penalties in the game
• Sidney Crosby had 6 shots and Evgeni Malkin had 5
• Malkin drew 4 penalties and took 3 penalties
• Craig Adams played 1:19 at even strength and 6:09 shorthanded

The Good:

Last year, Martin elbows Clarkson in the head and passes
the puck to a Devils player.

• Pascal Dupuis:  Despite taking 1 of the 12 minors, Dupuis had an overall good game and caused havoc in the passing lanes for New Jersey.  He was credited with 2 takeaways and provided strong defensive support at even strength and on the penalty kill.  He actually contributed to pretty much every situation for the Pens, playing 2:44 on the PP, 6:11 on the PK, and 9:30 at even strength.  Sadly, the biggest reason Dupuis had a good game was because the Pens spent most of the game in the defensive zone.
• Paul Martin:  It was just another game for Martin, leading the team with 28:49 on the ice and playing mostly mistake-free hockey.  Unfortunately he finally took his first penalty of the season, but the team survived the PK without him.  I was most impressed with his offensive zone puck movement in this game even though it didn’t amount to anything. He certainly loves that spin move at the point and you can tell his confidence is extremely high with how often he goes to it right now.

The Bad:

• James Neal:  Neal seems to be going through bouts of brilliant hockey and useless hockey depending on the day.  The train to the penalty box certainly didn’t help his cause, but he took an awful slashing penalty to end a powerplay and generally had puck control problems all day.  With a couple turnovers and missed passes on Saturday, I’m guessing Neal bounces back for a strong game on Sunday since that has been his trend this season.

The Ugly:

Hard to stop everything when it's 5 on 4 for over a period.

• Discipline:  TWELVE MINOR PENALTIES.  Going back through most of them, the ones that were questionable were Vitale for boarding, Vitale for boarding, and that’s it.  Take away another (Bortuzzo for roughing) as a coincidental minor and that still leaves NINE BAD PENALTIES.  That’s simply unacceptable.  The Pens had a chance to feel everything out with a 1-0 first period lead and didn’t learn anything as the game went on.  Instead they got increasingly frustrated and took some foolish penalties.  Every player has to be smarter than that.

+/- Assessment:

• 1st GF (Sutter): + for Reese (keeps puck in zone), Kennedy (passes to Despres), Despres (one-timer), Sutter (deflection goal)
• 1st GA (Matteau): - for Cooke (goes to wrong point), Orpik (releases on Matteau)
• 2nd GA (Henrique): - for Glass (penalty)
• 3rd GA (Butler): - for Malkin (penalty)
• Season +/-: Click here for the Season +/- spreadsheet

Thoughts:

Not always pretty, but what a legendary goaltender.

• Evgeni Malkin:  Malkin drew the ire of most people today, drawing 4 penalties but also taking 3 (one of which cost a potential powerplay).  I have to imagine most of the people that are quick to turn on Malkin are also the ones quick to turn on Fleury.  Both players are high risk, high reward players.  You’ll get lots of positives AND negatives with both, but far more positives in the long run.  Everyone just has to accept that with both, it’s not going to change.  For what it’s worth, I had Geno marked down for 11 positive plays and 7 negative plays in this game.  The next player I had marked down the most was Dupuis with 8 plays total.  That’s just what you get with Geno, he’s going to be very involved and it’ll come with negatives.  More often than not, it’s worth it.
• Martin Brodeur:  Give credit to Brodeur for this game as well.  He made two outstanding saves that put an exclamation mark on this game.  The first one was on Kunitz on the very first shift of the game, and the 2nd one was on the 2nd to last shift on Malkin.  The Pens could have played 100x better and may still not have beaten Marty more than once.
• Refs/Penalties:  While most of this is covered under “The Ugly,” the team failed miserably at adjusting to how the game was called.  The refs were clearly calling the game tight early; New Jersey took their fair share of penalties for it too.  It’s up to the players and teams to see how each ref is calling each game and adjust in turn.  Refs only call what the players give them a chance to call - it’s on the players ultimately.
• 2nd Line Wing:  Boychuk hasn’t really progressed at all in his game with Malkin and Neal.  Speed is still an asset, but his puck handling can be atrocious at times.  I’ve called for this 2 games in a row now, but maybe with the loss we will see Jeffrey enter the lineup again.  Jeffrey adds a defensive aspect that Boychuk doesn’t have.  If no one is going to add offense to that line, I at least want to see a defensive addition then.
• Goaltending:  Fleury faced another rough game stat wise but played a solid game overall.  He was left all alone on the first goal and did as much as can be expected.  The second goal was just an amazing bounce for the Devils as the puck hit the post and landed on Henrique’s stick.  Fleury would probably want the 3rd goal back though since he was just beaten on a clean shot.  Regardless, I’m sure Vokoun plays Sunday and people start goalie controversy crap over nothing again.  Let’s wait until Fleury actually costs the team a game before we attack him for once perhaps.

Pens Record: 8-4-0, 16 pts

Next Game:  2/10 vs NJ, 7:30pm

Pens Get Revenge on Isles, Push Winning Streak to 4

Main Storylines:

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

Result:

Pens 4  Islanders 2

Goals:  Neal (6) (PP) from Crosby

            Despres (2) from Kunitz, Letang

            Sutter (2) from Cooke

            Dupuis (3) (EN) from Martin

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

Stats:

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

The Good:

This, all day.

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

The Bad:

Sid? Want borscht to fix face?

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

The Ugly:

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

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

+/- Assessment:

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

Thoughts:

Obligatory "Bortuzzo is awesome" pic.

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

Pens Record: 7-3-0, 14 pts

Next Game:  2/7 vs Was, 7pm

Pens Player Power Rankings - Week 3

Coming off of a 3-1 week that started with an ugly loss to the Isles and ended with Chris Kunitz being a superhero, here are your player rankings for Week 3.  If you're curious about the season averages or previous rankings, I've posted them here.

Rank	Player (Last Rank)	Last Week's Performance
1	Tomas Vokoun (10)	It's hard to argue 5 out of 7 periods of shutout hockey and 2 wins.  (2-0-0, 1.29 GAA, .949 Save %, 1 SO)
2	Sidney Crosby (4)	His passing and skating look up to speed finally and his turnovers are tailing off. (1g, 7a, 56/101 faceoffs)
3	Chris Kunitz (18)	Hopefully Kunitz spreads whatever disease he had to the rest of the team.  Set a career high with 4 goals on Sun. (5g, 3a, 6 hits)
4	Paul Martin (2)	Continues to quietly provide solid defense and has also been  poised and smart with the puck on offense. (2a, 3 hits, 8 blocks)
5	Brooks Orpik (1)	For the most part, Orpik has sacrified the big hit numbers for proper positioning. It's working. (3 hits, 7 blocks)
6	Evgeni Malkin (7)	Geno is returning back to offensive form despite having 30 linemates a game. Faceoffs are an issue. (1g, 5a, 21/46 faceoffs)
7	James Neal (5)	A rise in his defensive and physical efforts have cost him on the stat sheet, but we'll take defensive wins any day. (1g, 1a, 8 hits)
8	Kris Letang (6)	Showing a brand new patience with the puck on offense, but certainly misses Niskanen on defense. (2g, 2a, 6 hits, 7 blocks)
9	Pascal Dupuis (12)	Has complemented Crosby and Kunitz nicely while taking care of the defensive end for the top line. (1g, 3a)
10	Robert Bortuzzo (23)	Finally made his season debut and has shown no signs of rust from sitting out. (1g, 1a, 2 PIM, 4 hits, 5 blocks)
11	Deryk Engelland (11)	Has seen more playing time since Niskanen's injury and has been sericeable. (1a, 5 hits, 6 blocks)
12	Marc-Andre Fleury (3)	Had a rough outing with little help against NYI but came back better against limited shots vs NJ. (1-1-0, 3.00 GAA, .848 Save %)
13	Simon Despres (21)	Showing the inconsistencies of a normal rookie NHL defensemen, but improving. (1g, 1a, 6 PIM, 11 hits, 2 blocks)
14	Joe Vitale (16)	Has been putting on a forechecking clinic and has also done a wonderful job on faceoffs, especially in D zone. (28/42 faceoffs)
15	Tanner Glass (13)	Put together a strong week on the PK and even drew penalties as well.  Fits nicely supporting Vitale's speed. (11 hits)
16	Brandon Sutter (14)	First goal as a Penguin and was good defensively. Linemates aren't helping him though. (1g, 1a, 28/56 faceoffs, 6 blocks)
17	Craig Adams (17)	Knows his role and played most situations safely.  Had some turnover issues towards the end of the week. (1a, 7 hits)
18	Zach Boychuk (NA)	Showed great speed and potential to be the 2nd line winger, but needs more games first. (4 shots, 4 hits)
19	Matt Cooke (15)	Finally scored this weekend but was usually invisible on the ice. (1g, 1a, 8 hits)
20	Tyler Kennedy (9)	Rotated between invisible on the ice, missed shot, and turnover. Fell off greatly over the past week. (10 shots, 2 PIM)
21	Dustin Jeffrey (22)	Looked alright in the lineup but has returned to healthy scratch world. (3 shots, 1 hit)
22	Ben Lovejoy (20)	Did not look alright in the lineup and was healthy scratched for Bortuzzo. (3 blocks)
23	Eric Tangradi (19)	Is falling further on the depth chart with the addition of Boychuk. (Did Not Play)
Inj	Matt Niskanen (8)	Still out another week or more with an ankle injury. (Injured)

Let me hear it, what would you change?

Illness Gives Kunitz Superpowers, Pens Win

Main Storylines:

• Tomas Vokoun starts against his former team.  He was perfect in his last start, making 28 saves to shut out NYR.
• The lineup remains the same with Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi, and Ben Lovejoy as healthy scratches.  Matt Niskanen is still out of the lineup with an ankle injury.
• Ovechkin before the game: “I'm standing here, I have only 3 points.  It kind of embarrasses me, but it is what it is.”

Result:

Pens 6  Caps 3

Goals:  Kunitz (3) from Martin, Crosby

            Cooke (1) from Engelland, Bortuzzo

            Letang (3) from Sutter, Cooke

            Kunitz (4) from Crosby, Malkin

            Kunitz (5) (PP) from Malkin, Neal

            Kunitz (6) (PP) from Crosby, Letang

ESPN Recap:  http://scores.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=400442593

Stats:

• Chris Kunitz had the first 4 goal game of his career
• PP was 2 for 3, PK was 3 for 4
• The Pens won only 33% of faceoffs in the 1st but were at almost 50% (34/71) by the end of the game
• Evgeni Malkin was a team worst 5/14 (35.7%) on faceoffs
• Paul Martin and Robert Bortuzzo led with 4 blocked shots each (Pascal Dupuis next with 3)
• Tyler Kennedy was the only player under 10 minutes played with 9:51.  He only played 2:02 in the 3rd.
• Brooks Orpik led with 28:11 of playing time

The Good:

I want whatever Kunitz has.

• Chris Kunitz:  Do I even need to explain this one?  Kunitz added another 4 goals while “ill”, had solid puck control, and was a forechecking machine.  Obviously his 4 goals take the cake, but the biggest change in his game has simply been a massive decrease in turnovers.  Just an unreal performance by Kunitz, his first 4 goal game of his career.
• Sidney Crosby:  There is no question in my mind that Crosby played his best game of the year on Sunday.  The Pens’ captain had 3 assists and put his name back in the hat for “most-skilled grinder” in the world.  His defensive effort was superb and he displayed a plethora of creativity and hard work in the offensive zone.  Crosby was a force in all 3 zones against the Caps.
• James Neal:  Neal only had 1 assist and was a little lost on the Mike Green goal against, but he had a very strong defensive game overall.  I had him marked down 4 times for great poke checks or backchecks in the defensive zone and another 2 times for strong puck support going into the offensive zone.  It won’t show up on the scoresheet, but Neal played a very strong and responsible game to help out his linemates more than himself.

The Bad:

• Kris Letang:  Letang looked great in the offensive zone and showed two things that will elevate his game even further: patience and a wrist shot.  His defensive game was inconsistent though as he demonstrated awareness issues and committed multiple turnovers.  When the Pens started using Bortuzzo and Despres less, it looked like it hurt Letang’s game more than anything.  He doesn’t appear to have good chemistry with Engelland when they are on the ice together.

The Ugly:

Vokoun had a great game, don't let Edzo say otherwise.

• Simon Despres:  As a young defenseman in the league, Despres will face many ups and downs.  Sunday’s game was certainly a down as he took two penalties, was manhandled in the defensive zone and saw his TOI decrease as the game went on.  Here are my notes on Despres from the game: “bad pass, misses a check, gets out of position, can’t clear, getting manhandled, loses puck in neutral zone, high stick penalty, delay of game penalty.”  I’ll just leave it at that; he’ll work through it (as long as Bylsma doesn’t switch him for Lovejoy next game).
• Fluke Goals:  Though Eddie Olcyzk wanted to blast Tomas Vokoun for the Capitals’ second goal, it’s hard to blame a goalie when the puck shoots out at a 60 degree angle from the glass.  The Pens have seen their fair share of both good and bad bounces like that, so while it was ugly, I wouldn’t want Vokoun to play any different.
• Third Period:  With a 5-2 lead, the team reverted back to some bad habits like they did in the first Rangers win of the year on opening weekend.  There were more passes up the middle, more players skating away from passes, and team as a whole got a little cocky about their abilities.  With a team this talented, Dan Bylsma’s biggest challenge all season is going to be keeping everyone focused and in control for 60 minutes every game.  It’ll be something to watch all year and it's my biggest determining factor on if he's the right coach to win another Cup with this team.

+/- Assessment:

Green scores one for Mother Earth.

• 1st GF (Kunitz): + for Crosby (faceoff win), Martin (shot), Kunitz (deflection)
• 1st GA (Green): – for Neal (drifts from slot), Cooke (lets point guy go free), Letang (doesn’t pay attention to Green)
• 2nd GF (Cooke): + for Sutter (puck retrieval), Bortuzzo (pass), Engelland (shot), Cooke (deflection)
• 2nd GA (Carlson): - for no one, skaters played it right, bad bounce for Vokoun
• 3rd GF (Letang): + for Boychuk (brings in puck, gets it to the net), Cooke (puck retrieval), Sutter (pass), Letang (patience, goal)
• 4th GF (Kunitz): + for Malkin (outlet pass), Crosby (pass back to Kunitz), Kunitz (goal)
• 5th GF (Kunitz): + for Malkin (starts play, primary pass), Letang (returns puck to Malkin), Neal (pass to Malkin, creates room in slot), Kunitz (goal)
• 3rd GA (Ribeiro): - for Despres (penalty), Letang (fans on clear), Sutter (fans on poke check)
• 6th GF (Kunitz): + for Malkin (knocks puck to Neal), Neal (sends puck to Letang on point), Letang (passes to Crosby), Crosby (rotates and feeds Kunitz), Kunitz (goal)
• Season +/-: http://www.crosbyftw.com/p/plusminus-spreadsheet.html

Thoughts:

2 game assessment: waiver wire success

• Powerplay Setup:  The powerplay FINALLY made some sense (and produced 2 goals) as Letang was at the point, Malkin on the right boards, Neal in the slot, Kunitz drifting between the crease and the left faceoff circle, and Crosby moving as he pleases around the lower half of the zone.  There will still be plenty of scares with only Letang at the point, but at least now every player is in a position that is comfortable for him.  I’ll be the first one to call myself an idiot for considering moving Kunitz off the top PP now that he looks competent with the puck again.  I have a feeling this will continue to trend up and down though because the Caps didn’t look all that well-prepared for the Pens on special teams yesterday.
• Trade Thoughts:  Credit to Alex R (@Alb4619) for sparking this thought, but could we maybe see Kennedy traded this season?  He’s a restricted free agent after this season and is quickly losing playing time and Bylsma’s confidence it looks like.  Kennedy has proven himself as an NHL player, is still young, and could actually bring something back in a trade (unlike Tangradi or Lovejoy right now).  It’s something to ponder and Shero may even be able to throw one of those other two players into the mix with TK.  Again, just a thought.
• Who Gets Benched:  This section will stay in until Niskanen returns because either Despres, Bortuzzo, or Engelland will inevitably get benched when Nisky is healthy again (and there’s still Lovejoy there too).  Sunday’s game was bad for Despres but I’m still a firm believer that he has to play through everything to solidify himself in the NHL.  We all know my thoughts on Bortuzzo, I had him listed above Engelland coming out of camp.  Engelland has played well though and Bylsma clearly trusts him.  I’m sure it will turn into a “play well and you stay, play poorly and you sit” situation, so right now Despres is the leading candidate to sit in my mind, for better or worse.
• 2nd Line Wing Watch:  Boychuk has solidified himself as the 2nd line winger for now and his speed is an incredible asset with Malkin and Neal.  I can’t imagine Jeffrey or Tangradi getting into the lineup without an injury right now.  Ray Shero should send a bottle of champagne to Jim Rutherford and some wine to the 12 or so other GMs that passed on Boychuk.

Pens Record: 6-3-0, 12 pts

Next Game:  2/5 @ NYI, 7pm