I realize that they were playing the Islanders, but the Penguins put together one of their most complete games in weeks. They worked hard from the opening face off and seemed to play IHC Dan Bylsma's system to a T. They moved their feet in the offensive zone and hit the Islander defensemen as soon as they gained possession of the puck. That contact knocked the puck free and created plenty of offensive opportunities.
If there was one thing that I would like to see change, it would be getting more shots on goal after the gain possession of the puck in the offensive zone. You can control it beneath the goal line all you like, but if you are not setting up shots in front of the goal it is all for not.
Petr Sykora said it best when he mentioned that, though they played a very solid game and controlled the puck for long stretches, they need to create more "slot opportunities." More shots from right in front of the goaltender would go a long way towards winning hockey games.
The Penguins played their aggressive style, but were able to bottle the Islanders up in the third period when the game was on the line. They only allowed them to get 4 shots on goal.
Marc Andre Fleury was very good tonight, though he kicked a couple rebounds out in front again. This was definitely a good bounce back game for him and should do wonders for his confidence. I think that it is very telling about his character that he was able to bounce back from Sunday's performance with a shut out tonight.
Miro Satan has really started to look like a hockey player under Dan Bylsma. I believe that is due to him getting consistent shifts with good players. He came awfully close to getting on the board on a couple of occasions tonight. He is moving his feet and working to get to loose pucks. Most impressively, he is shooting the puck. He was tied for the team lead in shots tonight with 4. Kris Letang and Petr Sykora also had 4 each.
Speaking of Letang, he bounced back in a big way. He played sound defense, made smart plays with the puck and was a physical presence on the ice. He was laying the body on players that were much bigger than him such as Kyle Okposo and looked impressive in doing so.
Petr Sykora might have scored the goal, but Geno Malkin created that play. He made an awesome play on the puck at the blue line and then walked down the boards with Sergei Gonchar. Sarge ended up getting the puck to the net where Sykora could bury it. Great play there.
The Penguins put together a great home game tonight and picked up two HUGE points in the standings. If they bring this effort on a consistent basis, they will win their share of hockey games and make a run at the playoff spot.
Thus far, they are winning all of the games that they have too. Keeping it going is another story.
I will be on XM 204 between 1030 and 1045. Hopefully you guys can tune in...
I neglected to comment on Yann Danis...wow, what a performance from him! I know that the Penguins needed these points, but I would have liked to see Danis get something out of this one. He was absolutely lights out! Third Period:
The Penguins have had a couple of very nice shifts to start the third period, but they have been unable to beat Yann Danis. He has played a great game thus far and is giving the Islanders every chance to win this one.
How on earth the Islanders didn't just get on the board, I will never know. They just fired three or four shots at the cage, but the Penguins and the goalpost managed to keep it out of the net. The Penguins did take a penalty in the process and will have to get on the kill right now...
* * * * *
Look for Jordan Staal or Max Talbot to get the goal for the Penguins. Both have played great tonight and deserve to be rewarded for it.
* * * * *
These two goaltenders are playing their hearts out right now. Big saves at both ends of the ice.
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Someone needs to tell Kennedy that everyone has caught on to his spin and shoot move. Especially the Islanders who were the first to be burned by it last season. I don't think that it has worked for him since the first game of the season.
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The tie was almost broken, however Miro Satan fired the puck off of the cross bar. He was an inch high from giving his team the lead. The goal horn did go off and the crowd now seems to be back into the game. We will see if that is what was needed to spark something here...
* * * * *
What the heck was Minard thinking! He had a clear path to the net and he dropped the puck to NO ONE!
Crosby walks into the room... "Where did you learn that...where did you learn that!!! Chris...where did you learn that!!!" "I learned it from you alright!!! I learned it from you!!!"
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These guys would be dangerous if they would shoot the puck. They are blowing a wonderful opportunity on the power play right now by not shooting the puck. You can't score if you do not shoot the puck on the net...
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The Penguins are just skating through bodies to get to loose pucks in the offensive zone right now, though they still haven't found a way to beat Danis. You just get the feeling that they are going to get one in here, but Danis is a brick wall right now!
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Petr Sykora finally gets a puck past Danis. Evgeni Malkin made a great play at the blue line to start the entire series of events. He and Sarge almost became one skater as they came down the right wing boards. Sarge threw the puck to the net where it went through a couple of bodies and popped free to Sykora, who flipped it in behind Danis.
Sykora leaped into the glass and fell down, where Evgeni Malkin dove on top of him. Huge goal for the Penguins season...
Second Period:
The Penguins are keeping the energy level high thus far in the second period. The Isles also seem to have upgraded their efforts a bit from the first period. There has been a good bit of back and forth action so far in the period.
There is an awful lot of working down low with nothing to show for it again. They just cannot get shots to the net. Their best chance was probably a play in which Sarge got free cutting down the slot, but he could not get his stick on the pass.
The Isles have had a couple of odd man breaks, though they have yet to get one of them on net.
The Penguins earned their second power play of the game...they really need a goal here.
* * * * *
What the heck is going on here! The Penguins came close at one end of the ice, but allowed the Isles to come screaming right back and they almost burned them. Sean Bergenheim had a breakaway but shot wide, then they allowed what amounted to a two on one right in front of Fleury, who was down and out....luckily the cross bar came to their aid that time...
For all the good they have done thus far, they are trying awfully hard to allow the Isles to take the lead here...
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At least Fleury is making the stops, but he is serving to many rebounds right out into the slot!
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Jordan Staal has been great down low in the offensive zone tonight. He is laying the body on guys and knocking a lot of pucks free. This is what I want to see from him when he isn't scoring goals. Get himself physically involved, create turnovers and open up ice for his line-mates. He is playing a great game thus far and seems to be embracing the new style...
* * * * *
Letang just made a great defensive play to get back and break up a pass from Bill Guerin! That would have been certain death for the Penguins, but Letang got there and got the puck in behind the net.
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This one if pretty much even up at this point. The shots are one off, there is no score and the two teams are just going back and forth. This has the look of one of those in which the first goal ends up winning it. Maybe a 2-1 game with an empty netter thrown in?
The Penguins have been impressive. The energy level has been great and they are working hard on every shift. They are definitely allowing to many chances to the Islanders...hopefully it will not haunt them. Usually when you allow a team to hang around like this when you have a ton of your own early chances, it blows up in your face.
More as it happens...
First Period:
The Penguins will get the first power play and the referees clearly forgot how the delayed penalty is supposed to work. They allowed the Islanders to get a stick on the puck twice with no whistle! The Islander players were going nuts!
Letang is getting a look on the power play with Sergei Gonchar...Staal, Malkin, Satan up front...
* * * * *
The Penguins are again refusing to shoot on the power play. They had actually had a couple of passes that should have gone the other way...they are just lucky that the Isles didn't make them pay.
* * * * *
Yann Danis might have had nightmares after his last appearance in Pittsburgh, but he is looking great thus far tonight. He is controlling the puck well and smothering it. No rebounds to be had. If he keeps gobbling pucks up like this, he is going to be tough to beat.
* * * * *
The Scouts for tonight are Edmonton and Chicago...there are a number of seats reserved for Islanders reps...which is interesting based on the fact that they have come up in trade speculation regarding the Penguins. However, I do recall them having a number of folks in their caravan the last time they were at Mellon Arena.
* * * * *
The Penguins are dominating in the shot department, though they are still not shooting enough. They currently lead 7-1 in shots with 645 remaining...
* * * * *
The Penguins are dominating play in the Islanders zone. They aren't getting many shots on net...but they are cycling and eating up tons of clock. Folks are praising them for the offensive zone time, but it doesn't mean much if you do not put the puck on net!
* * * * *
The Penguins should change their name to the Pittsburgh Forechecks! They have done an amazing job of forcing turnovers in the Islanders zone and eating up tons of clock. The period has been one of the fastest I can remember in some time. The Birds seemed to eat up a minute and half every time they got into the offensive zone. Unfortunately, they do not have anything to show for it, as they have not been getting enough shots on net.
It is worth noting that the Penguins had 9 shots blocked in the period and still managed 8. They have got to continue to test Danis.
Their work ethic has been top notch tonight and every player is giving his full effort. That is exactly what you want to see when you are in a must win situation.
I will have more as it happens...
Pre=Game:
We are just awaiting the opening face off here in Pittsburgh. As I said during my XM appearance prior to the game, I really feel that Evgeni Malkin will lift the team on his shoulders this evening. I am looking for something like 2 goals and 2 assists from number 71.
These are two must get points and I think that the Penguins will in fact get them.
Stay tuned for live commentary on everything as it happens...
Down Goes Crosby...Pens to Face Isles Without Captain...
The Penguins go into tonight's match up with the New York Islanders knowing that they are in desperate need of the two points. Especially because this is a game against a team that is behind them in the standings and they can ill afford to lose those games, as we outlined last week. Games against the teams behind them or directly in front of them gain importance because they are considered four point swings in the standings. If you are currently 5 points ahead of an opponent, winning puts you up 7, while losing puts them behind by only 3.
The road to victory got a lot harder when Sidney Crosby decided 8 minutes into the morning skate that he would be unable to go tonight and is considered day to day.
"It doesn't feel good enough to go," Crosby said. "Hopefully, it will improve."
The injury apparently occurred during Sunday's loss to the Washington Capitals. However, as we talked about a day ago, Crosby has not been 100% throughout and his history of lower body injuries is unsettling.
He has been in the league for four seasons and in almost every one of them he has suffered some form of muscle pull. It may not have been severe, but they caused him to miss games. When you mix those muscle strains and pulls in with the broken bones, high ankle sprain etc that could not be helped, you have a player who is starting to come across as very injury prone.
It is also worth noting that he must be in severe pain, because he has long been known for playing through most injuries that he has sustained. When Crosby misses games, you know that it is causing significant grief.
"Dealing with a groin is a little more serious," said Crosby. "Everyone gets aches and pains, bumps and bruises and stuff like that. When you're dealing with a groin and you're not seeing it get a whole lot better it's kind of a red flag. You have to make sure you take care of that."
To the delight of Penguins fans, the team will also be without Ryan Whitney this evening. Apparently he is dealing with a family matter back in Boston and was given permission to go back home to be with them. It is hoped that he will be back with the team by Friday.
"He has some family matters that he needs to attend to for the next couple of days," IHC Dan Bylsma said. "He's gone back home. The plan right now is for him to meet us in Chicago."
Whitney's absence opened the door for Kris Letang, who has been a healthy scratch for the past three games. He is anxious to get back into the line-up. Things actually worked out for the Penguins, as they were planning on getting Letang back in the line-up regardless and would have had to decide on who to take out of the mix.
The coaching staff has been working with Letang and explaining exactly what they wanted to see from him. They have been impressed with what he has been doing in practice and are anxious to get him back in the line-up.
“I was real happy with the way Kris Letang practiced,” Bylsma said on Monday. “I think he completely knows what we expect and he made an effort to do that in practice and it was duly noted by the staff.”
The Penguins have also recalled Janne Pesonen, which is going to be very interesting. Dan Bylsma has been his coach all season long in Wilkes Barre-Scranton and already has a pretty good idea of what he can do in different situations. Though he wasn't given a great opportunity to show what he could do during past call-ups, this might be is shot.
Of course, you know what I must do!!
As we talked about yesterday, Marc Andre Fleury will be back in the net for the Penguins. Here is hoping that he has gotten himself together and is ready to backstop this team to victory tonight. He cannot play the way he has over the past couple of match-ups if they intend to win this game.
Game Notes:
The Penguins are 88-87-27 all-time versus the Islanders, including a 44-36-16 mark at Mellon Arena.
The Penguins are 3-0-1 this season versus the Islanders, including a 1-0-0 mark at Mellon Arena.
The Penguins have outscored the Islanders 20 to 11 in four games this season.
The Penguins have been outscored by the Islanders 717 to 736 in 202 career contests.
The Penguins are 9-2-2 in their last 13 home games versus the Islanders.
The Penguins have won eight of their last 10 home games, including four of their last five.
The Penguins rank ninth in the NHL, averaging 2.97 goals-per game this season. They are averaging 3.5 goals per game in four games since Dan Bylsma was named interim head coach Feb. 15.
The Penguins have recorded at least one power-play goal in six of their last 10 games going six for 38 (15.7%) over the span.
The Penguins have given up the first goal of the game in 30 of their 61 games this season and are 12-16-2 (seventh in NHL) in those games.
Evgeni Malkin is currently on a five-game scoring streak posting seven points (3G-4A) from Feb. 14 to Feb. 22.
Sergei Gonchar is currently on a four-game scoring streak tallying four points (2G-2A) over the span.
Brooks Orpik tallied his 13th assist of the season Feb. 22 at Washington. He has set career-highs in points (15) and assists (13) through 58 games this season. Orpik ranks second in the NHL with 226 hits and second on the team with 112 blocked shots.
Milestone Watch:
Hal Gill is three points shy of reaching 150 for his career.
Petr Sykora is three goals shy of tallying 300 and three penalty minutes shy of 400 for his career.
Jordan Staal is four assists shy of 50 for his career.
Brooks Orpik is five assists shy of 50 for his career.
Matt Cooke is six goals shy of 100 for his career.
Pascal Dupuis is eight goals shy of 100 and seven points shy of 200 for his career.
Marc-Andre Fleury is three wins shy of 100 for his career.
Mathieu Garon is eight wins shy of 100 in his career.
Sergei Gonchar is nine power-play assists shy of 250 for his career.
Penguins Youtube of the Day:
I figured we all needed a little reminder that it is still a great day for hockey!!
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