Pittsburgh Vs. Phoenix
The Penguins will look to avoid a three-game losing streak when the team heads to Phoenix for a Saturday night matchup against the Coyotes.
After Friday's 3-2 loss to the Ducks, the Penguins now sit behind both the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers in the Atlantic Division. Pittsburgh has slipped under the .500 mark with a 6-7-1 record.
Game Time- 9:00. TV- FSN Pittsburgh.
The Lineup
Forwards:
There was no morning skate on Saturday, so it's hard to say at this point what changes, if any, head coach Dan Bylsma will make to the forward lines. But any way you look at it, one thing is clear: Evgeni Malkin needs to fire it up.
The Russian superstar doesn't have great numbers on the year (3G, 6A, -5) and has only one point in the last five games. He has also put up a minus rating in each of the Penguins last five tilts. I don't know exactly what will wake Malkin up, but something has to happen soon.
The expectations for Malkin are justifiably high, his cap hit of $8.7 million is equal to that of Sidney Crosby, who has eight goals and nine assists on the year. It's not that Malkin has hit a stretch of bad luck or is making horrible mistakes; he just looks lost on the ice at times.
The argument can be made that Malkin has been playing with less-than-ideal linemates, but that's a reality in the cap era, and Jordan Staal's injury woes don't help the situation. One reason the Penguins are paying Malkin a big chunk of change is that he is expected to be able to elevate those around him. He's the big guy, the world class talent. It's not the job of those around Malkin to pick him up. It's his job to pick them up.
Defense:
Zbynek Michalek is heading to Phoenix for the first time since signing with the Penguins this summer. Michalek hasn't had an ideal start to the year, missing time with a shoulder injury. The big-money defenseman has yet to have a plus rating in a game with Pittsburgh, a minus-6 on the year.
I know plus/minus is not the be-all, end-all when it comes to looking at a defenseman, but it seems like Michalek is still finding his legs with the Penguins. Of course his injury didn't help. I'm hoping that Michalek will start to find a groove here pretty soon. The Penguins defense hasn't played that great the past two games and needs a strong effort to pull things together.
The whole team needs to tighten up, but it was most evident in the defensive zone Friday night against Anaheim. General manager Ray Shero went out and spent some serious cash on the defense this offseason. It should be one the Penguins strengths.
Kris Letang continues to light it up on the offensive side. His 13 points are second on the Penguins. Only Crosby (17) has more. Letang's plus-7 rating is the best on the squad.
Goaltending:
At this point it is unclear which netminder will get the nod against the Coyotes. It's hard to blame goaltending for the past two losses, as the team in front of them has been a bit of a mess.
Overall the team needs to pull things together and come out strong. They can ill afford a flat start against Phoenix.
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