The Penguins played a Jekyll and Hyde game, but were able to hold on for the victory...a much needed one at that. The boys definitely needed to get back on track after dropping games to the Philly Flyers and Ottawa Sens.
They came out flying and produced one of the best first periods of the season, leading 15-2 in shots at one point. Here are some quick observations about the match up...
Rick DiPietro is a great goalie, but I think that he uses his excellent puck moving skills a little too much. It seems that he plays almost every single puck that is shot into the zone and it doesn't always seem to be the best play. It was his decision to play the puck with two Penguins baring down on him that set up Crosby's empty net goal. He had a defenseman coming up right behind him with some speed who would have likely been able to move that puck out of the zone...instead, he collided with Tyler Kennedy and the Dman sending the puck to 87 for a gift goal. It is a great skill to have, especially in the new NHL, but it has to be controlled a bit. Thoughts??
Tyler Kennedy...all I can say is wow! I am on record as saying that he was the most NHL ready prospect the Penguins had in WBS...I told Ek that during a Buzzcast earlier in the season as well as Peter from XM, but I didn't realize he would play like he has. Could tonight be his breakout game? He had three points and was all over the ice. He is doing a great job on Crosby's wing and deserves a chance to stay there for a bit. He keeps his feet moving and seems to get to the openings every time! His play with Crosby reminds me a lot of what Andy Hilbert was doing doing his brief tenure on that line a couple years back. He seems to think the game on Crosby's level and is quick enough to keep up with him. He has also shown a nice scoring touch around the net, evidenced again by his nice tap in this evening. Amazing what a player can do when given the opportunity...I hope he keeps it up.
Dany Sabourin has played well, but I am still a bit worried about two months with him carrying the load. Once again tonight he played great for ALMOST the entire game, but allowed two goals less one minute apart. This is an alarming trend and seems to happen every night. He is a very confident goaltender and is able to shake those goals off, but the Pens aren't always going to be able to overcome the two goal deficit. I know that he couldn't help the 2 on 1, but he has got to tighten up a bit if he is going to carry the Pens into February.
Chris Simon...what can I say that Islander fan Vukota hasn't already said in his comment to my earlier blog:
I agree 100%, this is the way he pays Snow & Nolan back for giving him a second chance. He has disgraced the isles franchise yet again. I hope the league gives him the boot and if not the NHL then the isles better. There is no room in the league for guys like this. The game has passed him by and he should just go away. Every point is valuable and this is the second time in two years that he has done this late in a close game. That just shows you how selfish he is, nobody is above the team. I apologize on behalf of the isles fans. On a side note, kudos to roberts for hanging with sutton. Roberts didn't win that fight, but he didn't do too shabby either. Hats off to Gary..
The move was bush league and will most definitely be playing on Colin Campbell's office TV awaiting a decision. Not sure what he was thinking when he stomped Jarkko Ruutu, especially in a game that his team still had every chance to win. Insane...
Which leads me to the Penguins power play...what the heck was going on during the final 5 minute major? They were up a man and looked like they were down by two. I really hope that Sergei Gonchar isn't that sick, because the power play really suffers when he is out of the line-up. The Penguins were allowing short handed opportunities at a break neck pace and couldn't set up in the Isles zone.
Jordan Staal is slowly rounding into form. He is making strong plays with the puck and is taking his one on one opportunities. It was his great one on one move that set up Kennedy's game winning goal tonight. He may not be scoring as much as we would like, but he is doing a lot of other things that show his value.
Rob Scuderi left the game during the first period and it didn't look good. He was hobbled by a shot to the ankle and could barely put weight on it. The Penguins will be hard pressed to replace him with the bodies they currently have on the depth chart. Scuderi is a whipping boy for many fans, but he in actuality he has been one of the Penguins best defensemen this season. He is almost always a Plus player and has really rounded into a steady defensive defenseman.
We have a Richard Park sighting...in almost every game he has ever played against his former team he has found a way to get on the score sheet. Tonight was no different as he scored the Isles first goal. He is a scrappy little player who has definitely found a home with the Isles...he seems like a very valuable member of the squad...nice to see.
Gary Roberts is back in beast mode! He has been as surly as ever over the last couple weeks and he dropped the mitts again this evening. He went one on one with big Andy Sutton and after catching a second wind seemed to come over the top for a victory in the fight. He was a little over matched by the bigger Sutton early, but he came back strong. He has been hitting like crazy, skating hard to the corners and getting tons of scoring chances. It is only a matter of time before he starts tickling the twine. His hands are definitely still there and that will pay off for the Pens as the season goes on.
Do you think that the Hurricanes would like to have Josef Vasicek back? I do. He may not score a ton of goals, but the ones he does are big. He is a very big, skilled body out on the ice and I feel he is underrated...
The Pens picked up 2 big Atlantic Division points tonight, something that they had struggled to do this season. Let's hope that they can keep it going, as two of their next three games are against the Rangers and these same Isles.
Stay tuned for more tomorrow...
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