I'll be honest, I thought the Penguins would jump on the signing of Ilya Bryzgalov when he was released from the Ducks. It would've been nice too. The guy was barely team-less by the end of a 24-hour span, and when he did start for the Coyotes he did so by winning four straight. Impressive.
Too bad he's lost three in a row.
The Penguins play host to the dessert dogs tonight at 7:30p.m., hoping to rebound from the win-streak breaking loss against the Maple Leafs Saturday night.
Never mind this being the only time during the season when these two teams faceoff. This is a win-everything situation for the Pens, who have not only been sitting uncomfortably at the bottom of the Atlantic, but are also thirteenth in the conference.
Besides, next season's new scheduling will have the Pens playing every team in the league anyways. Might as well scout them out now.
Couple of key players on the Dogs to look out for.
1. Shane Doan - Had an extremely slow start to the season, but has since come around to put himself at the top of the team with 18 points (5-13). Regardless, Doan has only been held to one point in the last five.
2. Ilya Bryzgalov - If you haven't seen this guy in net yet, watch and be amazed. As long as his defense doesn't collapse around him, he's more than likely to give up only two goals a game. I'm putting him in the same light as Marty Biron last season with the Flyers. I expect to hear about an off-season extension for this guy.
3. Daniel Carcillo - At 22 years-old this guy is a real scrapper. Two games ago against Chicago, Carcillo logged 23 minutes in penalties, including a 10-minute game misconduct. He's a hard hitter who's not afraid to shoot either. Carcillo is tied for fifth on the team with 11 points (4-7). Not bad for a former Wilkes-Barre star...
In order to contend and not hand this game entirely over to the Coyotes, the Penguins need to play a clean game and keep their mouths shut when a penalty is issued. See also - Gary Roberts, Sidney Crosby. Two minutes in the box is bad enough, but two more because you can't stop whining doesn't make it any easier.
I'd like to say this game is highly winnable, but I've only seen the Coyotes play a few times this season. When you factor in the on and off again threat of the Penguins' offense, it really is anyone's game.
Puck drops at 7:38p.m.
