PensBurgh

Martin Skoula scores two, Penguins beat Thrashers 3-2

2009-11-22T02:49:07Z

More photos » by Erik S. Lesser - AP

Just to clarify from the preview, before the puck even dropped we discovered that former Pen Johan Hedberg would be starting in net for ATL.

I don't want to jinx anything, but the Penguins PP might be on its way back. Not perfect yet, but definitely improving. Coming into tonight's game the Pens scored a PP goal in two-straight games. Eight minutes into this one they'd extend that to three-straight when Martin Skoula let one go from the point to put the Pens in front with the early 1-0 lead.
Honorable mention on that goal: Chris Bourque picked up his third assist as a Penguin. Can't confirm it, but the pass may have been a shot that horribly missed the mark. Jay Kayyyyy
Former Pen Colby Armstrong looked ready to play early on when he led a 2-on-1 rush in on Fleury. Gonchar showed he's more than just a PP specialist, making a great slide/dive to shut Army down.
The Pens PK got put to the test around the nine-minute mark in the first. Great work by Max and co., especially when Max led a rush back the other way that just nearly missed putting the Pens up 2-0.
Announcer fail: Bob Errey makes reference to Atlanta's "sellout crowd." Judging by the look of the broadcast, you'd have a better chance counting the occupied seats than you would the empty ones.

After the jump: Pens get a penalty shot, Kovalchuk fights

Great feature on Consol Energy Center during the first intermission. For those who didn't get a chance to catch it, hopefully the Pens will have it available online soon.
The Thrashers left Hedberg all alone for a lot of solid Pittsburgh drives. Malkin couldn't capitalize on a great look, Fedotenko missed wide on another. To top it off the Pens were creating a lot of traffic in front of Moose, but who picked up the second Penguins goal? Martin Skoula on a great shot from the boards.
Pens kept the pressure on and didn't let up one bit. Malkin, who missed a clear lane earlier, crossed the blue line around the eight minute mark and let one loose on goal. A weird bounce and deflection off a Thrashers player allowed the puck to slip right past Hedberg. Even Errey reverted back to his math, calculating that "one stick + one butt = one goal." Add it up any way you want. You still get 3-0 Pens.
With just about 4:30 remaining in the second, Chris Bourque went to the box for two in what can only be described as a phantom trip on Maxim Afinogenov. If you're looking for a textbook example of how to sell a penalty, you'll want to check this one out. (video courtesy of GhostWalker40)
The Pens killed off the penalty and Bourque bolted out of the box. He dished off a touch pass to Max Talbot to open up a breakaway on Hedberg. Max got the shot off but was also hauled down from behind. Refs awarded a penalty shot as we all sat on the edge of our seats.
No dice. Hedberg skated out to what looked like center ice to challenge Talbot, cutting down every angle and giving Max nothing to work with. Puck launched wide of the net. Still 3-0 Pittsburgh.
Evander Kane vs. Deryk Engelland, 18:14 into the second period. More on that tomorrow.
A few minutes into the third period, FSN filled us in on some interesting info: Last Penguins defenseman to score a hat trick - Paul Coffey, 1988.
Maybe Kovalchuk was looking to fire up his team. Maybe Matt Cooke finally got under his skin. Whatever it was, everything came to a head around the 13-minute mark as Kovalchuk and Cooke squared off. Of course the FSN cameraman was taking a coffee break for the first few seconds of the fight, but when the camera finally did cut to the action Kovi had his jersey over his head and was blindly throwing punches at Cookie. Pens get a four-minute PP out of the deal and Kovi picked up 14 minutes in penalties. He'd head off to the dressing room and not return.
While still on the PP, a blotched slashing call on Malkin opened up an Atlanta 2-on-1 the other way. Fleury did what he could but the Pens give up a shorty. 3-1 Penguins.
Hedberg went off to the bench with about two minutes left to play. Pens couldn't ice it with an empty net goal. With about 20 seconds left Atlanta takes to the Pittsburgh zone and make something out of nothing. Afinogenov received credit for the goal, one that announcers often describe as a "bang-bang play."

FINAL: 3-2

Worth noting:

Pens snap Atlanta's four-game point streak
Kovalchuk held pointless for first time since returning from injury
First road win for the Pens in four road games.
One day Fleury will get an empty netter. One day.
The PP scored and looks good, but those two shorties hurt

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Atlanta Thrashers [Open Thread]

2009-11-22T00:00:14Z

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. ATLANTA THRASHERS

IN ATLANTA @ 7:00pm ET

RADIO FEED ON WXDX.com

THRASHERS BLOG: BIRD WATCHERS ANONYMOUS

A part of me feels like a genius for thinking Rich Peverley was going to do well after he left my Milwaukee Admirals. Still, that's nothing compared to how the man who said this team would start off as hot as it did feels.

Cheers, and Let's Go Pens!

Let's take a look at the Atlanta Thrashers

2009-11-21T16:15:08Z

More photos » by John Bazemore - AP

Ondrej Pavelec has stepped up big time in the wake of Kari Lehtonen's never-ending injuries. Lehtonen's return may still keep him out with a bruised ego.

Browse more photos »

[SBN Atlanta Thrashers blog - Bird Watcher's Anonymous]

Last season the Penguins swept the Atlanta Thrashers in all four regular season meetings, outscoring them by a combined 18-8. This season it may not be as easy, especially when you consider Atlanta is playing with a healthy Ilya Kovalchuk and a stellar netminder who goes by the name of Ondrej Pavelec. More on him later.

But first, Kovalchuk. He's beast. He's dangerous. He plays with a ridiculous level of intensity. But did you really need me to tell you that? Since returning to the lineup, after missing nearly a month with a broken foot, it would appear as if the guy hasn't missed a beat.

Here are his numbers since returning (in just four games played):

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Ilya Kovalchuk	4	7	11	5	0

And here's where he stands on the season:

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Ilya Kovalchuk	13	8	21	4	8

Look at that assist total. It's scary to think seven of his eight assists this season came in just four games - his last four played since returning from injury. Is it possible this guy returned from injury better than before he went out? Perhaps, but I suppose that assessment leaves room to more or less conclude that he wasn't good before he left. That is, of course, not true.

On to Pavelec, who may be one of the better goaltenders to emerge from an injured roster in the very early part of this season. His 6-5-2 record indicates a winning percentage, just barely, but when you look at his other numbers (and the average of these numbers), the guy really works hard out there. Pavelec is averaging just about 32 saves per game over his last five appearances. And although he's giving up just about three goals per game during this same span, he is also managing to keep his team in it long enough to make a run at regaining the lead. Three games ago Pavelec recorded his first career shutout, a 7-0 beatdown of the LA Kings. Atlanta wound up victims of a shutout in the next game against Boston, and tonight look to pick up a win with Pavy in net.

With any luck Ruslan Fedotenko decides to not break his hand on Colby Armstrong's face again and the Pens leave this one free of pain, and hopefully with the 'W' as well. It's already a good sign that Brooks Orpik will return for this one.

Puck and thread drop at 7:00. Bring your A game.

Brooks Orpik expects to play against Thrashers, Nate Guenin sent down

2009-11-21T03:25:32Z

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Orpik smash.

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Scratch another one off the shelf (or in the case of Pens Universe, remove a picture from the mantle). Brooks Orpik is expected to play against the Atlanta Thrashers, which I'm sure will send Hooks into a gitty fit as he takes this one in at Philips Arena.

As a result of Orpik's return, defenseman Nate Guenin was sent back down to WBS. Guenin played in two games for the Pens and picked up zero points, finishing only with a -2 rating.

For a team that has a lot of decisions to make on the blue line after this season, I have to say it's at least a benefit to see some of these younger guys filling in during this bout of injuries. Many of us can't catch WBS games anywhere, so to see them on the ice, no matter how short the stint may be, gives a decent reference point outside of just some preseason play.

Penguins 5th in the league in man games lost to injury

2009-11-20T15:54:00Z

Penguins 5th in the league in man games lost to injury

I was curious where the Pens stood in this department but will also admit I was too depressingly unmotivated to do the work myself. Not to mention it likely would've changed and changed again by the time I actually pooled together all the information. So we turn to Mr. Mirtle. This is why he gets paid the big bucks.

Tales of the Tape: Ottawa Senators, Eric Godard vs. Chris Neil

2009-11-20T13:10:45Z

There's not much good to say about the Pen's game last night, but I'll do my best to try to raise the sagging spirits of the Pensburgh crowd. Would watching Eric Godard pound on Chris Neil make you feel better? Dry those eyes and take a look.

The fight started with Neil doing the increasingly popular move of grabbing the jersey and jabbing with the same hand, but Godard quickly got Neil's hand away from his face and came out swinging. Neil was switching hands, swinging with whatever he could get free, but Godard stayed dedicated to his right hand, and his right hand stayed dedicated to Neil's face. After blows back and forth with both players stopped and looked as if they were going to await the linesmen. Then Neil took the opportunity to take a cheap swing, and Godard answered with a direct shot to the face (or right in the button, if you're listening to the clip). At this point, Neil's face started bleeding, but he kept at it. The energy was sapped, though, and shortly the linesmen broke the two up.

What a bout from Godard. Neil came out with some quick jabs, but Godard just pounded his face over and over again. This is a solid win for Godard - just look at the blows he connected! By the end of the bout, Neil's left cheek was swollen and bloody, but that can be expected when one gets repeatedly punched in the face. Definitely a good fight - I just wish it had come in a better game.

Next up is Atlanta, who thus far have 9 fights this season (coincidentally, the same number Chris Neil has) - five of which coming from Eric Boulton. You may recall a memorable bout last season in which Ruslan Fedotenko broke his hand on Colby Armstrong's face. Let's hope any fights that we may see have similar results without the unfortunate effects.

(Thanks to GhostWalker40 for the video!)

Poll

Who won the fight?

Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot return but it's not enough, Senators smoke Pens 6-2

2009-11-20T03:03:13Z

Check out Senators coverage over at Silver Seven

Hooks is out of the Pensburgh lineup for the next three to five days, so I'll be standing in for recap action tonight and Saturday. Following the Atlanta game, it is believe he'll be listed as day to day.

The awesomeness that is Lindon Slewidge rocked the anthems before the puck even dropped. The guy's got a set of pipes, that's for sure. Always great to see him during Ottawa games.

Pittsburgh's first goal was fast and pretty thanks to the long reach from Jordan Staal and a great set up on behalf of Pascal Dupuis from Sergei Gonchar. Definitely the sort of thing you wanna see your returning defenseman get involved in right off the bat. And hey, for all the times we've knocked Dupuis, that was one hell of a pass.
Unfortunately the highly anticipated return of Max Talbot was stalled by two minutes when he went to the box for tripping. No worries though, as the PK killed that one off with ease.
With roughly eight minutes to go in the first, Ottawa showed some serious puck control in the Pittsburgh zone. What felt like too long wound up being just that, as Matt Carkner got an angle on Marc-Andre Fleury and sent one home to tie it at one a piece. In 2006-07 Carkner played with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pens, so his ability to score against Pittsburgh should stand as no surprise to anyone. These things always happen.

The second period and depressing third after the jump

The Pens started the second period on the power play but quickly found themselves down a man after Bill Guerin took a goalie interference call. Ottawa made the Pens pay on a Milan Michalek deflection in front of Fleury that put the Sens up 2-1.
Gonchar's return to the lineup brought with it high hopes for an immediate boost to the power play. Sometimes it takes time, as evidenced during the second period when the Pens had two PP chances and failed to make it work. At times it looked like they were having issues just getting a rush out of their own zone.
The second period closed out with the Pens down 2-1 but with a carry-over PP waiting to open up the third.
Despite some nice puck work and a few strong shots from Gonchar and Malkin, the Pens were unable to capitalize on the third period's opening power play. Unfortunately the d-men pinched too far into the Sens' zone, allowing Ottawa's Chris Kelly to rocket out of the box, charge ahead on Fleury with the puck and score to open up a two-goal lead.
The Penguins just looked flat for the first five minutes of the period. Ottawa jumped on this opportunity to wear down the Pens in their own zone with strong puck control. Chris Phillips let one go from the boards that slipped right past Fleury to give the Sens four straight unanswered goals. At this point the Pens would need a drastic change in chemistry and a total shift in momentum to work back from three down with less than 15 minutes to play.
They wouldn't get it. Not tonight. Chris Phillips picked up his second of the game two minutes later, beating Fleury blocker-side as the wheels continued to come off the bus. Bylsma pulled Fleury, Brent Johnson went in, and this one turned into a "just try and close the gap" sort of game.
If you needed one play to define this loss then look no further than the 6-minuteish mark in the third when Brent Johnson came out of his net to play the puck. Johnson got tangled up with Gonchar, the puck squirted free as BJ lunged back into the crease and Jonathan Cheechoo launched one top shelf to make it 6-1. That's how the puck was bouncing for the Penguins. No breaks tonight.
Oh wait. That power play. Right right, how did that fare? Well, they got one. Yes, they really got one. Before all was said and done Evgeni Malkin picked up his first goal since coming back from injury to put the Pens' power play at 1-for-5 on the night and the final score at 6-2, massively in favor of Ottawa.
Eric Godard and Chris Neil threw down as well in what can only be labeled a heavy weight bout. Dunman will have more on that for you tomorrow.

What can ya say? Ottawa played a strong game. They closed out lanes, prevented shots from getting through and made the Pens chase in their own zone.

Are you worried or concerned, or is this just an example of taking all of these injuries in stride? If so, then this is going to be a bumpy run.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators [Open Thread]

2009-11-20T00:30:11Z

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs. OTTAWA SENATORS

IN OTTAWA @ 7:30pm ET

RADIO FEED ON WXDX.com

SENATORS BLOG: SILVER SEVEN

So, amidst the injuries, isn't great to get our QB of the PP back, and then Mr. Superstar? I'm interested to see how they take to the ice tonight, tentative out there or not, it's great to see both out there!

With the Penguins having a certain amount electricity jolted to the system when Geno returned, I got to believe this will only be a plus with that. This will be a lot of fun to watch, having them back to the mix.

Cheers, and Let's Go Pens!

It's official: Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot return tonight

2009-11-19T17:36:55Z

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

The PP quarterback returns.

Browse more photos »

It figures - mere seconds after I toss up a fanshot that questions whether Gonch is still questionable, the Pens release official word that both Sergei Gonchar AND Max Talbot will return to the lineup tonight.

This, in case you needed me to tell you, is a good thing. However I still have my reservations with Gonch, and that is more or less rooted in the concern that he may be getting rushed back before he's 100% ready to hit the ice. I know, I know, he was cleared for contact last week. So was Max. But I think Gonch was still mentioning some discomfort in his shoulder and wrist last week, so there's a chance he won't be 100% tonight.

But in all honesty I'd love to be proven wrong.

Looks like the Chris Lee call up is a precautionary thing. I haven't read anything that leads me to believe that Mark Eaton is injured - or at least admitting to it. He did miss today's practice but is listed on the defensive pairings that were released this morning.

Chris Lee called up from WBS

2009-11-19T17:30:37Z

Chris Lee called up from WBS

According to WBS beat writer Jonathan Bombulie's Twitter page, the Pens have called up Chris Lee to man the blue line tonight. Don't know if this means Gonchar is a definite 'no' or Lee is considered a 7th d-man, but at this point the WBS bus should just follow behind Pittsburgh's.

Let's take a look at the Ottawa Senators

2009-11-19T12:30:20Z

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

Chris Neil. Brutal.

Browse more photos »

[SBN Ottawa Senators blog - Silver Seven]

The Penguins kick off a short three-game road trip tonight as they head north of the border to take on the Ottawa Senators. In the last meeting between the two, the Penguins skated away with a 4-1 victory thanks to goals from Bill Guerin, Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy, the latter of whom actually scored two of em.

It goes without question that the recent injury report regarding Jay McKee puts the Pens in an interesting situation, as they now officially find themselves with only one of the starting six defensemen from the first day of the season (Mark Eaton). Martin Skoula, announced earlier in the year as the seventh d-man, looks as if he has his work cut out for him over (at least) the next two to four weeks.

On a positive note, Max Talbot makes his triumphant return to the ice, confirmed yesterday by the Trib-Review.

But enough about the Pens - you know what's going on here. Take the jump and check out what's going on with the Senators.

Ottawa (9-6-3) sits 10th in the East and second in the Northeast division after picking up a 3-2 win over the Leafs Tuesday night. Overall the month of November hasn't been all that bad for the Sens, as they've posted a 3-2-1 record that includes an OT and SO win. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire has developed an interesting pattern of W-L-W-L-W over his last five and with any luck the pattern continues tonight and results in an 'L' for the Sens.

But he'll definitely have help from Ottawa's firepower. On a team that consists of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek, it comes as a bit of a surprise to see Mike Fisher leading the team in goals with nine. A hot streak, or is he on pace to top his career-high of 23 set back in 2008? Fittingly Michalek isn't too far behind with eight of his own (he also scored the only Ottawa goal against Pittsburgh last month) while Alfredsson leads the team in total points with 19 (6g, 13a).

Historically the Pens haven't faired all that well on the road in Ottawa. Up until the last win on October 12, the Pens hadn't won a regulation game at Scotiabank since April 2007. A win tonight puts Pittsburgh on a three-game win streak with Atlanta and Florida left to close out the trip before returning home to host Montreal.

Can Pittsburgh get out of this one without an injury? Let's hope so. For those of you wondering how long the Pens have gone without an injury report, please direct your attention to the right sidebar beneath the Pensburgh Twitter feed on the main page. You'll find a handy little "Days since injured" counter that records the days, hours, minutes and seconds since the last injury. This was added during Monday's game against the Ducks. It has yet to record more than two days.

The puck and thread drop tonight at 7:30. Stop by and join in.

Sports Illustrated nominates Sidney Crosby as Sportsman of the Year

2009-11-18T23:21:18Z

Sports Illustrated nominates Sidney Crosby as Sportsman of the Year

Sid's going up against the likes of college football QB Tim Tebow, golfer Tom Watson, NASCAR's Jimmie Johnson, WNBA's Diana Taurasi and former Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy. Personally I'm a bit surprised Geno wasn't nominated.

Jay McKee out 2-4 weeks

2009-11-18T17:39:22Z

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

22 days ago: Columbus Blue Jackets' Jakub Voracek, center, of the Czech Republic, passes the puck between Pittsburgh Penguins' Jordan Staal, right, and Jay McKee during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Oct. 30, 2009, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)

Browse more photos »

Just when it looked like the Penguins could make it a game without an injury, Jay McKee wasn't at practice this morning and coach Dan Bylsma has to announce the news that he's had to do so many times. McKee will be out the next 2-4 weeks with what's described as a "finger infection".

McKee's had issue with broken fingers before, and hey it's pretty hard to play hockey if you can't wrap your fingers around a stick. McKee appeared to be stung and in pain on the bench after blocking one of his five shots on the night.

However the news wasn't all bad, as defensemen Kris Letang and Brooks Orpik were back in practice. Letang was sporting the fimiliar red jersey (meaning no contact), but Orpik had on the regular black jersey. Sergei Gonchar has been wearing the black jersey and practicing regularly for a couple days now as well.

Mark Eaton is now the only Penguins defensemen still in the lineup from opening night. That's not entirely rare in the NHL, but the fact that it's only mid November, and that there's five injuries at the same time is.

No word if the Penguins will have to re-call yet another player from Wilkes-Barre, or if an injured defenseman --likely Gonchar or Orpik, given their practice statuses -- will be able to be in the lineup tomorrow night in Ottawa.

Same system, same results

2009-11-18T15:38:08Z

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Another feather in the cap of Dan Bylsma: organizational transparency.

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Wonder why the Penguins could import three minor league defensemen and hardly miss a beat? Quotes from today's PG shed some light on it. Ben Lovejoy said:

"When I first got here, I had a meeting with Dan [Bylsma]. He told me there's one faceoff play where there's a bit of a nuance from what we do down in Wilkes-Barre. It's one faceoff play, and that's it."

Nate Guenin added:

"Everything is the same, it's awesome because when you get called up and you're put in that situation, you feel comfortable because all the terminology's the same, and it makes the transition that much easier.

Organizational transparency is a big deal, it's important that teams play similiar styles, for the very reason we're seeing: when a team needs to dip into the minors, it's a lot easier for all parties if everyone knows what's going on.

The Penguins once were thought to have synergy between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre under former head coach Michel Therrien, but that was more a result that he was promoted from WB/S, so some of his elements (and personnel) were between both places. As that faded, and as Therrien began stressing more and more defensive structure and responsibility, the schism between teams grew.

Don't expect that to happen again. Dan Bylsma and Todd Reirden (head coach of the Baby Pens) are on the same page. They worked together in Wilkes-Barre and said to have a strong professional relationship. Bylsma is a much better communicator than Therrien and seems to have made it more of a point to keep things together.

It's paid off lately, no one expects to use the #7-10 defensemen all at the same time in an NHL game, but if you have to, it's not the end of the world if you can use organizational transparency to help the transition.

This is simply hilarious. The Pens don't host the Caps until January, but that's plenty of time to...

2009-11-18T11:09:44Z

This is simply hilarious. The Pens don't host the Caps until January, but that's plenty of time to loosen up the glass for a certain player's goal celebration.

Credit to Pensblog for the find.

Mark Letestu sent down to WBS

2009-11-17T20:30:18Z

Guess this answers the question I posed earlier. The Penguins have reassigned Mark Letestu to Wilkes-Barre Scranton to open up a roster spot. That spot, of course, would seem to be an open slot for Max Talbot's return on Thursday.

Can't say I really saw enough of Letestu to make an overall judgment, but at the least he didn't cause any turnovers or miss wide-open nets to warrant any sort of negative impression. He was held pointless in only two games.

Here's the official release from the PG.

Max Talbot aiming for Thursday return

2009-11-17T16:43:56Z

Max Talbot aiming for Thursday return

Hopes to play against the Sens, but will more or less be a game-time decision following the morning skate.

Does this mean a forward is going down? If so, who?

Tales of the Tape: Bill Guerin vs. Ryan Getzlaf (Anaheim), 11-16-09

2009-11-17T14:01:34Z

Barely into the 3rd period, Bill Guerin got smacked from behind by Ryan Getzlaf, then again as he got back to the skates. Guerin and Getzlaf stayed near each other, and then the gloves came flying.

Getzlaf got some weak head shots in before Guerin caught him in a headlock, which pulled off his helmet. Getzlaf went for a shot that was blocked by Guerin, and then the two went down to the ice. I'm not quite sure if Getzlaf pulled Guerin or vice-versa, but it doesn't really matter. This one's a draw.

This is both Guerin and Getzlaf's first fight this season. Next up is Ottawa, who is tied for 4th in the NHL for fights, with 16. The Penguins are just behind them with 14, tied for 7th.

Poll

Who won the fight?

Cooke, Staal, Guerin fuel a team effort; Pens take down Ducks 5-2

2009-11-17T04:26:06Z

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

5 days ago: Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, right, makes a second period save on a shot by Anaheim Ducks' Petteri Nokelainen (17) of Finland during an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh Monday, Nov. 16, 2009.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Ducks vs Penguins coverage - Anaheim SB Nation team blog Anaheim Calling

Down seven regular players to injury, it has to be a team effort to get by. The Penguins found it tonight as they got contributions from everyone. Even the power-play kicked in with a goal, snapping a streak of weeks without one. Sure the Penguins gave up a short-handed goal, but hey, one step at a time.

Just a minute and a half into the game, Matt Cooke collected a turnover from the Ducks and deposited it past Jean-Sebastien Giguere for the first goal. Then a few minutes later, the power-play finally broke through when Sidney Crosby rifled the puck to Bill Guerin and the old man whipped it from the high slot for a 2-0 lead.

Anaheim would halve the lead when after some lackadaisical Pittsburgh power-play work resulted in Todd Marchant getting a step on the defense and he beat Marc-Andre Fleury to take the score at 2-1 into intermission.

Jordan Staal made a play short-handed that ended up being the game winner. Credit Deryk Engelland who got the puck, kept his head up and made a great pass up to Staal. As has become his habit, Staal beat the defensemen and used his reach to deke the goalie out. 3-1 Pens.

Early in the 3rd period, Martin Skoula scored his first career goal as a Penguin, shooting a puck from the point past the screen of Mike Rupp into the net. Teemu Selanne got a goal late in the game to bring the Ducks within two goals but Cooke put the icing on the cake with an empty netter for a 5-2

Down their top four defensemen (in terms of minutes played) the Penguins needed and got contributions from everyone. Engelland, as mentioned, made a great pass to make the game-winner possible and also played phyiscal with five hits. Nate Guenin looked confident and comfortable in his NHL season debut, also credited with five hits. Mark Eaton carried the load, playing a lot of the power-play in route to a game-high 27:09 of ice-time. Skoula, as mentioned above, got his first goal. Ben Lovejoy got an assist and generally played well.
Jay McKee, the final member of tonight's defensive corps, was his usual shot-blocking self; getting 5 on the night. The last one appeared to sting him, but he still took shifts deep into the 3rd period. Hopefully it wasn't enough to cause an injury,
Guenin and Engelland I think deserve a little more recognition for their efforts. Neither one of them tried to be a guy like Sergei Gonchar or Alex Goligoski -- they played within themselves. But they played very well. Several little plays showed they made good decisions and executed them well all night long.
Keeping on the theme of team contributions: every Penguin who took more than one faceoff was better than 50% in the circle; led by rookie Mark Letestu who won 75% of his eight draws.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin absolutely unleashed some rockets on the power-play with slapshots. Judging from those, I'd say about all systems are go for those two. Again though, Crosby got the PP assist but Geno was point-less. This win wasn't about them.
It was about guys like Staal and Cooke. 2/3 of the third line went a combined 3 goals, 1 assist and +5, 5 shots on goal, 6 hits.
Several more "ohh man" moments by Chris Bourque, who didn't win anyone to his bandwagon tonight; including missing another wide-open net.
For Anaheim, they just don't look like they have it all together. Given the talent on their roster, and the fact they won the Cup just over 2 years ago, it's hard to believe they're in last place in the entire Western Conference. Then you see some of the turnovers they make in the game, the careless penalties they take and it sets in a little. They have some pieces, but it's not coming together correctly.

The biggest thing to take away from this game was the team effort. Marc-Andre Fleury got 23 of 25 shots, only eluded by a breakaway and late game goal. The patchwork, mainly minor-league level defense held up very well and they all played well to a man. Grinders showed up on the score sheet and skated hard all around.

More than that, they played a style Dan Bylsma had to like; a lot of puck possesion and controlling the pace of the game. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has a saying that goes something like "the standard of expectation hasn't changed" when it comes to replacements pressed into duty due to injuries. That was the case tonight. Obviously it's impossible to replace the skill of guys like Gonchar, Goligoski and Kris Letang on the blueline, but everyone that got a jersey did his job, and did it well. That's all you can ask.

The Penguins now have a two day break before they embark on seven games in 11 days to close out the month of November, starting off with a three game roadie. The games are about to come but hopefully reinforcements will be trickling in. But the standards of expectation will not, and cannot change. Whoever plays has to produce, and they have to perform exactly like they did tonight.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins [Open Thread]

2009-11-17T00:30:11Z

ANAHEIM DUCKS vs. PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

IN PITTSBURGH @ 7:30pm ET

RADIO FEED ON WXDX.com

DUCKS BLOG: ANAHEIM CALLING

I don't know about you, but I'm still jazzed about last game. Something about having Malkin back.

As was the case with the past game against the Ducks on the road, I'm expecting tons of fun comments from this one. Comments such as their best player has been scratched tonight for excessive cake consumption.

I'm hoping for more of what we saw against the Bruins, in terms of Geno being a spark plug, and am going out on a limb saying he'll net the first goal tonight.

Cheers, and Let's Go Pens.