The Penguins head out to Western Canada tonight in the first and only game of the season against the Edmonton Oilers.
In their most recent game against the LA Kings, the Oilers skated to victory in a come from behind shootout victory. Oilers star Ales Hemsky is expected to return to the lineup tonight after being benched for a knee bruise.
Injuries are abound for the Oilers team. Six players rest on the proverbial stretcher, including defenceman Sheldon Souray. On the other side of the puck, Pittsburgh is hoping their star blueliner Sergei Gonchar is fit to play after missing two games from a groin injury.
Expected in net for the Penguins is on-and-off goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who for all intensive purposes has been nothing but hot on the ice. Fleury is riding a three game win streak that involves not only a shutout against the Thrashers, but also only two goals in the sixty-nine shots faced.
Mathieu Garon got the start in Edmonton's last game, so Dwayne Roloson may be making an appearance in net tonight for the Oilers. Roloson has been off to a shaky start with a record of 6-10-1. Garon, who single-handidly could be credited for keeping the Oilers alive in the game against the Kings, has looked sharp in net and may just get a consecutive start tonight.
The Pens start their West Coast trip tonight against the Oilers, with the next game coming tomorrow night against the Flames. Puck drops at 9:30p.m. Eastern Time.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Out with the old - Pens put Recchi on waivers
The Pittsburgh Penguins officially placed 39-year-old Mark Recchi on waivers this afternoon, officially marking what is likely the end of his career with Pittsburgh.
Ironically enough, at last night's home game against Phoenix, the Penguins commemorated Recchi's 500 goal milestone in the form of a bobble head souvenir. Recchi was a healthy scratch for last night's game, as has been the case for the past two weeks or so.
Recchi, also appointed alternate captain prior to the season's start, managed only eight points (2-6) in his 19 games with the Pens.
With the recent and younger talent working its way up through the Pens' system, it is almost evident at this point that Tyler Kennedy has found a full-time job. Initially considered as part of a demotion that sent Alain Nasreddine down to WBS, Coach Therrien was quick to recall Kennedy, a decision he has not since regretted.
In 13 games played, Kennedy has six points (4-2) and has exhibited versatility on lines shared with Gary Roberts and Jordan Staal.
Ironically enough, at last night's home game against Phoenix, the Penguins commemorated Recchi's 500 goal milestone in the form of a bobble head souvenir. Recchi was a healthy scratch for last night's game, as has been the case for the past two weeks or so.
Recchi, also appointed alternate captain prior to the season's start, managed only eight points (2-6) in his 19 games with the Pens.
With the recent and younger talent working its way up through the Pens' system, it is almost evident at this point that Tyler Kennedy has found a full-time job. Initially considered as part of a demotion that sent Alain Nasreddine down to WBS, Coach Therrien was quick to recall Kennedy, a decision he has not since regretted.
In 13 games played, Kennedy has six points (4-2) and has exhibited versatility on lines shared with Gary Roberts and Jordan Staal.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Pens beat Desert Dogs 3-1
Nice win tonight for the flightless birds, edging out a late surge in the third period to win by the final of 3-1. Prior to the game I expected to see a lot of penalties coming from he Coyotes' Carcillo. Oddly enough, Carcillo didn't spend a second in the box, but the same can't be said for his team.
The Coyotes logged 25-minutes of penalties through the course of this game. Nine of those 25 went to Keith Ballard, who had a tough night as the object of Colby Armstrong's retribution for an early first period hit that sent them both to the box for fighting.
Crosby and Malkin both had a relatively quiet night, but thankfully the team could still muster up an attack.
Mad Max Talbot was back from a high ankle sprain that rendered him unable to play for the last five games. He was quick to make his presence known with the first goal of the game, his sixth of the season. The combination of Georges Laraque and Talbot is amazing to watch. It is the ideal example of the scoring depth necessary for the birds.
Second notch of the game went to Kris Letang, his first on the season from Crosby and Malkin. Earlier in the game Letang fanned on a fair number of shots, before finally connecting on the third period goal.
Fleury's only faulter on the night came during a 4:00 Coyotes powerplay in which Captain Shane Doan found the back of the net following the Penguins' inability to clear the puck.
The victory was sealed on a Tyler Kennedy goal, his fourth on the season and fourth point in four games. So much for Coach Therrien looking to send him down to WBS with Nasreddine.
Great game tonight by the Pens, and phenomenal goaltending on both ends. Despite giving up three goals and dropping four straight, Ilya Bryzgalov is the goalie of the future for the Coyotes. I've said it before, I'll say it again and I'll keep saying it: Bryzgalov is to the Coyotes as what Biron was to the Flyers last season.
Pens head out to the west coast Wednesday night in Edmonton for a three game road trip. Preview to come.
The Coyotes logged 25-minutes of penalties through the course of this game. Nine of those 25 went to Keith Ballard, who had a tough night as the object of Colby Armstrong's retribution for an early first period hit that sent them both to the box for fighting.
Crosby and Malkin both had a relatively quiet night, but thankfully the team could still muster up an attack.
Mad Max Talbot was back from a high ankle sprain that rendered him unable to play for the last five games. He was quick to make his presence known with the first goal of the game, his sixth of the season. The combination of Georges Laraque and Talbot is amazing to watch. It is the ideal example of the scoring depth necessary for the birds.
Second notch of the game went to Kris Letang, his first on the season from Crosby and Malkin. Earlier in the game Letang fanned on a fair number of shots, before finally connecting on the third period goal.
Fleury's only faulter on the night came during a 4:00 Coyotes powerplay in which Captain Shane Doan found the back of the net following the Penguins' inability to clear the puck.
The victory was sealed on a Tyler Kennedy goal, his fourth on the season and fourth point in four games. So much for Coach Therrien looking to send him down to WBS with Nasreddine.
Great game tonight by the Pens, and phenomenal goaltending on both ends. Despite giving up three goals and dropping four straight, Ilya Bryzgalov is the goalie of the future for the Coyotes. I've said it before, I'll say it again and I'll keep saying it: Bryzgalov is to the Coyotes as what Biron was to the Flyers last season.
Pens head out to the west coast Wednesday night in Edmonton for a three game road trip. Preview to come.
Pens vs Coyotes preview
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.
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.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Pensburgh on Blogtalk
Pensburgh will make an appearance on blogtalkradio.com tonight around 8:45pm to talk about happenings around the Atlantic Division.
Click this to listen live
Click this to listen live
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Pens fall to Leafs 4-2
The Penguins just couldn't get it going tonight. Horrible turnovers in their own zone and just no motivation to move it up ice. In the event they even got it into the Leafs' zone, a lack of forechecking resulted in easy clears for Toronto.
Not gonna lie on this one; it hurts to see them team out there without Gonch and Talbot. Gonchar's absence is the obvious one, as the blueline tonight lacked that one-two combo from Whitney to Gonchar. Although Letang is a formidable defenseman, I feel he has a better place on the second line. However, in instances like this, it's good just to have him up there.
Or is it? Letang made a few mistakes in the Pens' zone. I can't tell if the Leafs were just putting on a lot of pressure, or if he did in fact seem like he was running scared in the zone. Either way, his inability to move forward with the puck gave the Toronto the advantage on the offensive.
Dany Sabourin was solid in net tonight. One glance at the number of shots he faced and you'd expect a higher scoring game. Stopping 37 of 40 is a good game in my book.
But where were the Penguins with their shots? The team mustered only nine shots in the first period, mostly attributed to the eight minutes of penalties they had to kill. Thanks Gary Roberts - you can't just take the two and keep your mouth shut. Instead, you call the ref, if my lip-reading is accurate "A F****** C****" and get yourself two more for misconduct. Lucky for you the PK was working hard out there. Otherwise I'd say it was your fault the team lost.
I reserve that statement to Malkin. Yes, I'm blaming the all-holy, sacred-star Evgeni Malkin. The same Malkin who thought it to be a good idea to wistfully dish a no-look pass to the point while the Leafs were in what appeared to be the heat of a line change. Not only did you miss your pass by a mile, but you also handed the puck right to Wellwood. From there, Wellwood and Blake charged down on Sabourin, who at this point was already weighed down by the amount of crap he dropped in his own drawers when he saw the incompetence of his team in the offensive zone. Pass, shoot, score. Even if Sabourin were to block the first shot, there were more Leafs on him than Pens to pick up the rebound.
Not happy with tonight's game. Too many mistakes. When the team finally tried to make up for it, it was too little too late.
I suggest Kennedy stays up when Talbot gets back. I don't know who'd be better off sent down, but I would really like to see a Talbot-Kennedy-Laraque line. Talbot's already shown his scoring ability this year, and Kennedy is really starting to pick up the slack around him. I just hope he hasn't gotten too comfortable with Roberts and Staal to a point where he can't play well with others.
Pens take on the Coyotes on Monday. Preview to come soon.
Not gonna lie on this one; it hurts to see them team out there without Gonch and Talbot. Gonchar's absence is the obvious one, as the blueline tonight lacked that one-two combo from Whitney to Gonchar. Although Letang is a formidable defenseman, I feel he has a better place on the second line. However, in instances like this, it's good just to have him up there.
Or is it? Letang made a few mistakes in the Pens' zone. I can't tell if the Leafs were just putting on a lot of pressure, or if he did in fact seem like he was running scared in the zone. Either way, his inability to move forward with the puck gave the Toronto the advantage on the offensive.
Dany Sabourin was solid in net tonight. One glance at the number of shots he faced and you'd expect a higher scoring game. Stopping 37 of 40 is a good game in my book.
But where were the Penguins with their shots? The team mustered only nine shots in the first period, mostly attributed to the eight minutes of penalties they had to kill. Thanks Gary Roberts - you can't just take the two and keep your mouth shut. Instead, you call the ref, if my lip-reading is accurate "A F****** C****" and get yourself two more for misconduct. Lucky for you the PK was working hard out there. Otherwise I'd say it was your fault the team lost.
I reserve that statement to Malkin. Yes, I'm blaming the all-holy, sacred-star Evgeni Malkin. The same Malkin who thought it to be a good idea to wistfully dish a no-look pass to the point while the Leafs were in what appeared to be the heat of a line change. Not only did you miss your pass by a mile, but you also handed the puck right to Wellwood. From there, Wellwood and Blake charged down on Sabourin, who at this point was already weighed down by the amount of crap he dropped in his own drawers when he saw the incompetence of his team in the offensive zone. Pass, shoot, score. Even if Sabourin were to block the first shot, there were more Leafs on him than Pens to pick up the rebound.
Not happy with tonight's game. Too many mistakes. When the team finally tried to make up for it, it was too little too late.
I suggest Kennedy stays up when Talbot gets back. I don't know who'd be better off sent down, but I would really like to see a Talbot-Kennedy-Laraque line. Talbot's already shown his scoring ability this year, and Kennedy is really starting to pick up the slack around him. I just hope he hasn't gotten too comfortable with Roberts and Staal to a point where he can't play well with others.
Pens take on the Coyotes on Monday. Preview to come soon.
Pens dim Stars 4-1
The Penguins marched on to a three-game win-streak Friday night with a win over the Dallas Stars. Fleury was sensational in net and the offense was unmatched despite a few key injuries to Sergei Gonchar and Maxime Talbot.
Amazingly all of the Penguins' goals were scored at even strength. The Stars played a well disciplined game, entitling the Pens to only one power play chance in the closing minutes of the third period.
Crosby kicked off the scoring for the Pens, and wind up finishing with two on the night. The youngster Tyler Kennedy netted one as well, showing his potential in the way of scoring. Despite his small frame that often results in being on the receiving end of hits along the boards, Kennedy brings speed and a sharp stick to the third and fourth lines.
Evgeni Malkin also lit up the ice with a late third period goal to further secure the lead for the Pens.
Marc-Andre Fleury's only slip on the night came on a slapshot from Mike Ribeiro via a screen from former Stars defenseman Daryl Sydor.
The three wins at the end of the month put the Penguins at 5-8-1 for November. Earlier in the month the Pens seemed to be struggling. However, the offense was able to turn it around, as was the netminding of the team to secure some W's before the month's end.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at the month of November in review, in addition to a recap of the Pens vs Maple Leafs game.
Amazingly all of the Penguins' goals were scored at even strength. The Stars played a well disciplined game, entitling the Pens to only one power play chance in the closing minutes of the third period.
Crosby kicked off the scoring for the Pens, and wind up finishing with two on the night. The youngster Tyler Kennedy netted one as well, showing his potential in the way of scoring. Despite his small frame that often results in being on the receiving end of hits along the boards, Kennedy brings speed and a sharp stick to the third and fourth lines.
Evgeni Malkin also lit up the ice with a late third period goal to further secure the lead for the Pens.
Marc-Andre Fleury's only slip on the night came on a slapshot from Mike Ribeiro via a screen from former Stars defenseman Daryl Sydor.
The three wins at the end of the month put the Penguins at 5-8-1 for November. Earlier in the month the Pens seemed to be struggling. However, the offense was able to turn it around, as was the netminding of the team to secure some W's before the month's end.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at the month of November in review, in addition to a recap of the Pens vs Maple Leafs game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)