The Penguins went into the third period of Wednesday's game against Boston holding a 4-2 lead. Pittsburgh watched the two-goal advantage evaporate as the Bruins put in five third-period goals (one empty net).
"It’s not like we gave them a ton of chances, but the ones that we gave up were big ones and they capitalized on them all," Sidney Crosby said after the game. "We got into playing some pretty risky hockey and we paid for it."
The mistake-filled third will be a hard one to swallow for this Penguins squad. This time it was a shoddy finish that put the game out of reach after a solid start.
"Sometimes teams get those chances and you can sneak away with playing a bad period," Crosby said. "But against a good team like (the Bruins) you make those mistakes and they make you pay."
The Penguins will try to turn their fortunes around this Friday when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town.
Scratches
D Deryk Engelland (Healthy)
F Chris Conner (Healthy)
F Mike Comrie (Illness)
Pittsburgh Vs. Boston
It seems like an eternity since the Penguins have played a game at Pittsburgh's CONSOL Energy Center, but the Boston Bruins will be in town Wednesday night as the Penguins search for their second straight win. Pittsburgh is trying to avoid dipping below the .500 mark.
This game has a plenty of storylines. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas looks like he has returned to his Vezina form, while Marc-Andre Fleury has had early-season struggles.
Normal backup Brent Johnson is on fire, putting up a 1.63GA and a .943SV% to go with his six wins. Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma has confirmed that Johnson will get the start Wednesday night.
We all remember the hit that Penguins winger Matt Cooke put on Boston's Marc Savard last season. Savard is still dealing with issues due to post-concussion syndrome and has yet to play a game this year.
The Penguins are looking for some consistent scoring. The Bruins have proved to be a tough team to score against, allowing only 1.73 goals per game; this will be a good test for the Pittsburgh squad.
Game Time- 7:00. TV- FSN Pittsburgh, RIS, NHL Network (US).
The Lineup
Forwards:
The Penguins have recalled Chris Conner from the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and Mike Comrie returned to practice Wednesday after sitting out Tuesday with an illness. These two were the "extra" forwards at the morning skate, not playing with any normal line.
Aside from Jordan Staal (broken hand), the Penguins are healthy up front and have to start scoring consistently. An early goal or two would also be very nice.
These are some interesting looking lines. The second unit is made up of two regular third-line wingers, centered by Evgeni Malkin. And normal fourth-liner Mike Rupp has been bumped up.
Malkin on a line with Matt Cooke and Arron Asham is far from an ideal situation. Both wingers have the ability to get down and dirty on the forecheck, but lack the scoring finesse that you'd expect to see on the second line. It will be Malkin's job to grab this line by the junk and produce. Hopefully the tenacity of Cooke and Asham will fire up the big Russian. Jordan Staal: get well soon.
The third line has the ability to score some timely goals. Tyler Kennedy should see a few chances due to Mark Letestu's hockey smarts. The line just needs to finish the opportunities that they create. Mike Rupp's size should allow the line to collapse low around the net and bang in some garbage. It'll be hard to beat Tim Thomas and the Bruins without knocking in some trash goals.
The way it's shaping up right now, enforcer Eric Godard will be in the lineup Wednesday night. His services could come in handy if the game starts to get out of control. The potential for this to happen is certainly there.
The keys for the Penguins forwards: Get traffic in front of Thomas. If he sees the puck, he's going to stop it. Scrap for garbage goals and don't worry about highlight-reel plays against the stingy Bruins. Shoot the puck. The Penguins cannot afford to dig themselves into a hole against Boston. The Bruins will be hard to come back against.
Defense:
The defense will look to tighten things up against Boston. Pittsburgh has let up far too many odd-man rushes and breakaways this season, and is giving up too many opportunities from down low in the defensive zone.
I still favor the defense joining the rush, but do it wisely. There's no need to jump in there every time. If there is a good chance, take it, but don't join the rush just for sake of doing so.
As far as play in the defensive zone, the Penguins need to be tough down low, win puck battles and clear the front of the net. This defense has the talent that, if they stay solid positioning-wise, this shouldn't be a problem.
Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik have spent many a shift together during their time with the Penguins. There should be an advantageous element of familiarity if the two skate together Wednesday night.
Paul Martin looks like he has adjusted pretty well to the Penguins system, while Zbynek Michalek has begun to find his legs once again after missing time with a shoulder injury. We'll see if Bylsma goes with the "new guys" pairing against Boston.
It is still unclear who will be the healthy scratch on defense. Deryk Engelland could be called on for his toughness, but it has been a while since Ben Lovejoy has seen action.
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