After taking a shot off the ankle last night, the sold-out crowd inside Mellon Arena gasped in unison as Crosby skated off to the bench. With his face wretching in pain and an obvious favor of the left leg, it almost seemed like the 2007 season was about to take a tumultuous turn.
Luckily, it's just a bruise. According to Coach Therrion, Crosby is not seriously hurt, but he's also not 100%. Of course, the next game isn't till Wednesday at home against the Canadiens, so he has plenty of time to rest.
Also somewhat winded on the night was the three point scoring Petr Sykora. Sykora, who broke his nose early in the preseason after colliding with Brooks Orpik, played last night's game with two stints up his nostrils. If in case you ever wondered what it was like, try sticking a q-tip up each nostril and playing hockey for 60 minutes. You tend to get winded pretty quickly. But hey, apparantly it didn't show in his place, and frankly if he's going to play that way under those conditions, I say we jam a stint up his nose every game and consider passing it on to other players in the locker room.
In the pre-season the Penguins won their only game against the Canadiens, but also lost the first to them as well. Tomorrow we'll take a look at the Canadiens of 07 and see how they match up against the Pens.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Battle of the birds - Penguins prevail
Sorry for the title, I couldn't resist. The Penguins' came out on top over the Ducks after a somewhat sloppy game that still managed to get five goals in the net by the final score of 5-3. Two goals from Penguins new-comer Petr Sykora, a goal from Malkin, Malone and Armstrong. The Armstrong goal in the second period was later dubbbed by 105.9 WXDX's Phil Bourque as "Crosby-esque". Speaking of Crosby, he finally got a point on the year with a diving assist to Malone, which later proved to be the game winning goal.
Main hightlight on the night - The Pens scored two goals in the second period within 20 seconds, and repeated again with back-to-back goals coming in the third within 19 seconds.
Ruutu was scratched on the night, so recent acquisition Adam Hall made his black and gold debut. Although scoreless on the night, Hall certainly hustled hard deep in the zone, kicking the puck back out and even winning some key faceoffs later in the game.
Another big man who was relatively quiet last season; Georges Laraque. Not tonight. Laraque used his huge frame to his advantage, opening up some room in front of the net that allowed Sykora to slip in for a third period goal on Laraque's assist.
For a second consecutive night the Penguins defense was anything but stellar in their own zone. Some poor puck movement and key mid-ice turnovers should have made the game an Anaheim victory. Luckily the Ducks fired wide on net a few times and mishandled the puck on the rare but still detrimental occasion. They still went out there looking like a Stanley Cup team willing to compete. I'm gonna go on the record of saying - if Giguirre was in net, it would have been a Ducks victory.
Hopefully this isn't the method in which Pittsburgh hopes to win games. Last season it was all about out-scoring. Obviously that is the point in any situation where there is a winner and a loser, but what I'm trying to say is the Pens can't get themselves in to too many 9 goal games and expect to come out the winner. With the extra attacker the Ducks brought the game to within a goal, but were unable to do it again in the last 22. Yet had there been 25 seconds left on the clock, it may have gone to overtime. The last minute pressure and the crash on the net ran the chance of the puck finding its way in. Lucky for the Pens and the sold out crowd of 17,000+, time ran out.
The Pens can't hope to play this sort of game all season. For the time being, they gratefully walked away the victor. I also don't expect there to be many 1-0 and 2-1 games in the Pens' future, they're just not that sort of team. As a final thought (how Jerry Springer of me) the Pens need to work on a tighter defense, more fluent puck movement and the right mind to not take stupid penalties. They stick to that, and they're a division winner.
Goals
Sykora
Armstrong
Malkin
Sykora
Malone
Assists
Roberts
Christensen
Roberts
Sykora
Laraque
Malkin
Crosby
Scuderi
Main hightlight on the night - The Pens scored two goals in the second period within 20 seconds, and repeated again with back-to-back goals coming in the third within 19 seconds.
Ruutu was scratched on the night, so recent acquisition Adam Hall made his black and gold debut. Although scoreless on the night, Hall certainly hustled hard deep in the zone, kicking the puck back out and even winning some key faceoffs later in the game.
Another big man who was relatively quiet last season; Georges Laraque. Not tonight. Laraque used his huge frame to his advantage, opening up some room in front of the net that allowed Sykora to slip in for a third period goal on Laraque's assist.
For a second consecutive night the Penguins defense was anything but stellar in their own zone. Some poor puck movement and key mid-ice turnovers should have made the game an Anaheim victory. Luckily the Ducks fired wide on net a few times and mishandled the puck on the rare but still detrimental occasion. They still went out there looking like a Stanley Cup team willing to compete. I'm gonna go on the record of saying - if Giguirre was in net, it would have been a Ducks victory.
Hopefully this isn't the method in which Pittsburgh hopes to win games. Last season it was all about out-scoring. Obviously that is the point in any situation where there is a winner and a loser, but what I'm trying to say is the Pens can't get themselves in to too many 9 goal games and expect to come out the winner. With the extra attacker the Ducks brought the game to within a goal, but were unable to do it again in the last 22. Yet had there been 25 seconds left on the clock, it may have gone to overtime. The last minute pressure and the crash on the net ran the chance of the puck finding its way in. Lucky for the Pens and the sold out crowd of 17,000+, time ran out.
The Pens can't hope to play this sort of game all season. For the time being, they gratefully walked away the victor. I also don't expect there to be many 1-0 and 2-1 games in the Pens' future, they're just not that sort of team. As a final thought (how Jerry Springer of me) the Pens need to work on a tighter defense, more fluent puck movement and the right mind to not take stupid penalties. They stick to that, and they're a division winner.
Goals
Sykora
Armstrong
Malkin
Sykora
Malone
Assists
Roberts
Christensen
Roberts
Sykora
Laraque
Malkin
Crosby
Scuderi
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Season Opener
All things considered, tonight was not exactly the ideal start to a season. The Hurricane defense did a tremendous job of shutting down Crosby (keeping him scoreless and ultimately pointless on the night), Eric Staal showed up his little brother and the defense couldn't have looked weaker around the net. Even deeper on the roster, the second line wasn't able to pick up the slack of the poor play from the first line despite keeping Cam Ward from his first season shutout with under four minutes left in the game.
I genuinely felt this game was feasible, but it seems the team will have to really put on the pressure tomorrow night at home. What can they do better? Hard to say. They defintiely put on plenty of shots, even outshooting the Canes 34-33 on the night. Perhaps the real solution to tonight's loss is the presence of the defense. The penalty kill shutdown 4 of 5 attempts, while the powerplay capitalized only once on six attempts with a tap-in goal from Recchi from Malkin and Gonchar.
So maybe I was a little over-zealous when I predicted the Penguins' victory tonight. But I'm just going to play the ignorant card and say this - The Pens open at home 17 hours from now and nothing could possibly make up for the loss tonight than winning the first home game of the year in front of a cup hungry town.
I genuinely felt this game was feasible, but it seems the team will have to really put on the pressure tomorrow night at home. What can they do better? Hard to say. They defintiely put on plenty of shots, even outshooting the Canes 34-33 on the night. Perhaps the real solution to tonight's loss is the presence of the defense. The penalty kill shutdown 4 of 5 attempts, while the powerplay capitalized only once on six attempts with a tap-in goal from Recchi from Malkin and Gonchar.
So maybe I was a little over-zealous when I predicted the Penguins' victory tonight. But I'm just going to play the ignorant card and say this - The Pens open at home 17 hours from now and nothing could possibly make up for the loss tonight than winning the first home game of the year in front of a cup hungry town.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Pre-game Short
If by any chance you hear someone saying how the Penguins have lost their last two games in Carolina, ignore it. It's a fact, but it won't be tomorrow.
The Pens are set to take on the Canes tonight at 7pm in Carolina. Expected in net for the Penguins, Marc Andre Fleury. Cam Ward gets the nod for the Hurricanes, coming off an overtime loss against the Canadiens Wednesday night. Kudos to Koivu for freezing up Ward for his first two goals of the season.
Got to take a look at the Rangers' home opener last night and wasn't overly impressed. Sure, they scored 37 seconds in to the game, but up until the last period when Florida fell apart, I was beginning to think New York was better off burning the money they spent on star players. That was of course, up until the point when Chris Drury realized he better earn his contract. Even still, I don't feel threatened by a team rallying 4 goals in the third period. They did it against the Panthers...not the Penguins. I choose to disregard it as a fluke, but take it for what you will.
The Pens are set to take on the Canes tonight at 7pm in Carolina. Expected in net for the Penguins, Marc Andre Fleury. Cam Ward gets the nod for the Hurricanes, coming off an overtime loss against the Canadiens Wednesday night. Kudos to Koivu for freezing up Ward for his first two goals of the season.
Got to take a look at the Rangers' home opener last night and wasn't overly impressed. Sure, they scored 37 seconds in to the game, but up until the last period when Florida fell apart, I was beginning to think New York was better off burning the money they spent on star players. That was of course, up until the point when Chris Drury realized he better earn his contract. Even still, I don't feel threatened by a team rallying 4 goals in the third period. They did it against the Panthers...not the Penguins. I choose to disregard it as a fluke, but take it for what you will.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Alternate Captains...Class A Work (get it?)
The Penguins announced three alternate captains today before the season opener tomorrow night in Carolina. Veterans Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts will each sport the "A", while defenseman Sergei Gonchar will be holding it down for the defense. Roberts and Gonchar will also be sharing the alternate duties, with Gonchar wearing it for home games and Roberts wearing it on the road. If you look at the roster, these selections shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
With the team's home opener only two days away, Captain Sidney Crosby and Co-captain Mark Recchi each purchased suites at Mellon Arena for the Make-a-wish and Big Brothers/Sister organizations. Yet again another class act from the Penguins' staff and its players.
And finally, if you ever needed another reason to visit this site over any other, then let this be evidence. Personally, I considered this to be a waste of a webpage, but then again I'm not Yahoo! and I also give a crap about hockey. The staff at Yahoo! asked Ryan Whitney a few questions. Read it here.
If they were going to ask him about a favorite CD, perhaps they would have just been better off asking what his favorite cassette was. CDs are just as obsolete. I doubt any single player is going to carry a stack of CDs with them, when an mp3 player is clearly the easiest way for any traveling person to go. Stop in to your local retailer and buy one today!
*This post was not in anyway sponsored by Apple, Sandisk or any other mp3 player.*
With the team's home opener only two days away, Captain Sidney Crosby and Co-captain Mark Recchi each purchased suites at Mellon Arena for the Make-a-wish and Big Brothers/Sister organizations. Yet again another class act from the Penguins' staff and its players.
And finally, if you ever needed another reason to visit this site over any other, then let this be evidence. Personally, I considered this to be a waste of a webpage, but then again I'm not Yahoo! and I also give a crap about hockey. The staff at Yahoo! asked Ryan Whitney a few questions. Read it here.
If they were going to ask him about a favorite CD, perhaps they would have just been better off asking what his favorite cassette was. CDs are just as obsolete. I doubt any single player is going to carry a stack of CDs with them, when an mp3 player is clearly the easiest way for any traveling person to go. Stop in to your local retailer and buy one today!
*This post was not in anyway sponsored by Apple, Sandisk or any other mp3 player.*
Anticipation In The Air
Teams around the league kicked off their seasons today, and all I can say is anticipation is growing. Here we are, only one day before the Pens' victory over the Canes. I couldn't be more psyched. I'm really looking forward to what lines the Pens work with tomorrow.
Speaking of, rumors from camp have mention some of the following pairs. Notice the utilization of the Vets with the youngins.
Staal-Crosby-Sykora
Staal, otherwise deadly on the penalty kill, deserves more a shot than any to be on this first line juggernaut. I don't doubt he'll relinquish his duties on the PK, but I do think he'll be shuffled in and out for the likes of Mark Recchi.
Average age: 23
Malone-Malkin-Recchi
Again, I wouldn't be surprised to see Recchi make the occasional jump to the first line. Regardless, as far as second lines go, this certainly is above average. Having the veteran Recchi on this line will hopefully help Malkin who we all pray will choose to shoot the puck a bit more this year rather than find the open shooter. If there's one thing you'll notice even more this season (especially with the new line pairings) is that the team is all about depth. And as Crosby recently noted, Stanley Cup teams are all about it.
Average age: 29
Roberts-Christensen-Armstrong
Again, nice placement of a vet with the younger guys. Similar to Staal on the first line, Christensen may be moving in and out from center to winger on the second. His play in the preseason and in practices so far this season has been focused on him adapting as a winger.
Average age: 29
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque
Powerhouse. This line is the one that brings the pain. You won't see much of the red light with this line, but perhaps you'll see some red when the other team is picking up their teeth. The one benefit of being a power line is also the benefit of having Ruutu who, despite his placement on the fourth line, has been known to net a few shots.
Average age: 28
Although Coach Therrion has made no official note of defensive pairings, I'm going to draw my own. If you tend to disagree or feel otherwise, definitely share.
Gonchar-Whitney
Now the two of them put up a lot of points, there's no doubt about it. But I don't know if Therrion is going to want to break it up a bit. Perhaps rotate them with...
Sydor-Eaton
As long as Eaton can stay healthy, he'll definitely be a producer on the second line with Malkin, Recchi and Malone.
Scuderi - ?
I don't know who they would pair together on this line. Remember, the roster is still short one man. Is a defenseman in the works for Pitt? I wouldn't doubt by the start of next week the team calls up Letang. That's just high hopes though.
Orpik-Nasreddine
The heavy hitters. Similar to their forward counterparts, don't expect to see a lot of goals, but expect to see plenty of hits and penalty minutes racking up like the ticket counter at the main gate.
Also worth noting, only two days after clearing waivers, the Vancouver Canucks have claimed defenseman Mike Weaver. So much for potentially calling him up. Weaver had been appointed to WBS, but before he could even load up his locker it was time for him to catch a plane west. Best of luck to Weaver, I'll be rooting for him, similar to how I rooted for Sabourin last year when he backed up Luongo. Unless of course it comes down to a cup game between the Pens and Canucks, in which case not so much.
Here's a fun picture worth a chuckle. Prior to the picture, photographers had to pull Lohan away from the cup, reminding her it is merely a trophy and not a massive cocktail.
Speaking of, rumors from camp have mention some of the following pairs. Notice the utilization of the Vets with the youngins.
Staal-Crosby-Sykora
Staal, otherwise deadly on the penalty kill, deserves more a shot than any to be on this first line juggernaut. I don't doubt he'll relinquish his duties on the PK, but I do think he'll be shuffled in and out for the likes of Mark Recchi.
Average age: 23
Malone-Malkin-Recchi
Again, I wouldn't be surprised to see Recchi make the occasional jump to the first line. Regardless, as far as second lines go, this certainly is above average. Having the veteran Recchi on this line will hopefully help Malkin who we all pray will choose to shoot the puck a bit more this year rather than find the open shooter. If there's one thing you'll notice even more this season (especially with the new line pairings) is that the team is all about depth. And as Crosby recently noted, Stanley Cup teams are all about it.
Average age: 29
Roberts-Christensen-Armstrong
Again, nice placement of a vet with the younger guys. Similar to Staal on the first line, Christensen may be moving in and out from center to winger on the second. His play in the preseason and in practices so far this season has been focused on him adapting as a winger.
Average age: 29
Ruutu-Talbot-Laraque
Powerhouse. This line is the one that brings the pain. You won't see much of the red light with this line, but perhaps you'll see some red when the other team is picking up their teeth. The one benefit of being a power line is also the benefit of having Ruutu who, despite his placement on the fourth line, has been known to net a few shots.
Average age: 28
Although Coach Therrion has made no official note of defensive pairings, I'm going to draw my own. If you tend to disagree or feel otherwise, definitely share.
Gonchar-Whitney
Now the two of them put up a lot of points, there's no doubt about it. But I don't know if Therrion is going to want to break it up a bit. Perhaps rotate them with...
Sydor-Eaton
As long as Eaton can stay healthy, he'll definitely be a producer on the second line with Malkin, Recchi and Malone.
Scuderi - ?
I don't know who they would pair together on this line. Remember, the roster is still short one man. Is a defenseman in the works for Pitt? I wouldn't doubt by the start of next week the team calls up Letang. That's just high hopes though.
Orpik-Nasreddine
The heavy hitters. Similar to their forward counterparts, don't expect to see a lot of goals, but expect to see plenty of hits and penalty minutes racking up like the ticket counter at the main gate.
Also worth noting, only two days after clearing waivers, the Vancouver Canucks have claimed defenseman Mike Weaver. So much for potentially calling him up. Weaver had been appointed to WBS, but before he could even load up his locker it was time for him to catch a plane west. Best of luck to Weaver, I'll be rooting for him, similar to how I rooted for Sabourin last year when he backed up Luongo. Unless of course it comes down to a cup game between the Pens and Canucks, in which case not so much.
Here's a fun picture worth a chuckle. Prior to the picture, photographers had to pull Lohan away from the cup, reminding her it is merely a trophy and not a massive cocktail.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Coming and Going on The Penguins
It’s that heart-wrenching time of the year. That time of the year when some of the players you may have developed a keen preseason liking to are the victims of a team decision. When, despite media hype and the praise of critics, some players just don’t live up to it. It’s that time of the year when a team’s management sits down and asks, “Do they stay or do they go?” It’s time for the regular season, but more importantly, time for roster cuts.
Baring a sub-par 1-3-2 performance during the preseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ management sat down earlier this week to decide the fate of half a dozen players.
Heading back down to Wilkes-Barre Scranton isn’t exactly a demotion. After all, you still remain part of the club, even if on the AAA level. Besides, throughout the season the Pens have often called up players from the farm for short stints. However, for fan and media favorites Kris Letang and Jonathan Filewich, it can be a bit demoralizing. Letang possesses a highly praised right-handed slapshot that had fans buzzing and critics hailing him as a much needed standout on the Pens’ blueline. However, despite such claims, he will begin the upcoming season with the WBS club. Fans around town already suspect it won’t be the last time they see the 20 year old defenseman.
Filewich, in a similar position, is the ideal power forward. He possesses great size, speed and a knack for finding openings down-low. Yet he too will begin the 2006/07 season with Wilkes-Barre. Both Letang and Filewich were huge favorites around the club for making the team. It’s not to say one day they won’t, or potentially even play at some point during the season, but neither has officially made the roster for the regular season. Last season Letang was called up to play in seven games, scoring two goals in his short stay.
Aside from those two favorites, the Penguins also appointed forward Ryan Stone and defenseman Mike Weaver to the baby Pens. Forward Jeff Taffe, initially sent down over a week ago, found himself unpacking bags before he could catch a ride out of town. The team called him back up for the 4-3 loss against the Sabres in which he logged two shots in a little over 12 minutes of ice time. Following the game, Taffe was also sent back down to WBS.
Only one signing thus far for the Penguins following an otherwise poor performance this preseason - forward Adam Hall signed on to a one-year, two-way contract for an undisclosed amount. Last season Hall split between the Rangers and the Wild, tallying 6 goals and 17 points in 72 games. In preseason for the Pens, Hall played in all six games, spending four minutes in the bin and registering a handful of shots, none of which hit the net.
Despite much speculation of his whereabouts on the team’s roster, defenseman Alain Nasreddine finds himself lacing up blades for the season opener Friday night in Carolina. Last season with the Pens, Nasreddine played in 44 games, netting one shot and assisting four others for a five point season. Out of those 44 games, 18 minutes were spent reconciling sins in the box.
Last but not least, the Penguins have begun experimenting with Erik Christensen. Christensen, a natural center, has found a new home on the right wing. Paired with Gary Roberts and Evgeni Malkin, Christensen has said many times over he is willing to take on whatever position would better suit the team. Having a multi-purpose forward never hurt any team.
The roster for the Pens seems to be more or less set. Thus far in practice, the team’s been mixing up lines and experimenting with different units. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see a different batch of attacks coming both Friday in Carolina and Saturday at home against the Ducks as the team continues to work with the line changes. Till then, with the preseason behind them, the Pens start the season 0-0-0 with a new roster in place and the cup in mind.
The Pens welcome Adam Hall to the roster
Baring a sub-par 1-3-2 performance during the preseason, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ management sat down earlier this week to decide the fate of half a dozen players.
Heading back down to Wilkes-Barre Scranton isn’t exactly a demotion. After all, you still remain part of the club, even if on the AAA level. Besides, throughout the season the Pens have often called up players from the farm for short stints. However, for fan and media favorites Kris Letang and Jonathan Filewich, it can be a bit demoralizing. Letang possesses a highly praised right-handed slapshot that had fans buzzing and critics hailing him as a much needed standout on the Pens’ blueline. However, despite such claims, he will begin the upcoming season with the WBS club. Fans around town already suspect it won’t be the last time they see the 20 year old defenseman.
Filewich, in a similar position, is the ideal power forward. He possesses great size, speed and a knack for finding openings down-low. Yet he too will begin the 2006/07 season with Wilkes-Barre. Both Letang and Filewich were huge favorites around the club for making the team. It’s not to say one day they won’t, or potentially even play at some point during the season, but neither has officially made the roster for the regular season. Last season Letang was called up to play in seven games, scoring two goals in his short stay.
Aside from those two favorites, the Penguins also appointed forward Ryan Stone and defenseman Mike Weaver to the baby Pens. Forward Jeff Taffe, initially sent down over a week ago, found himself unpacking bags before he could catch a ride out of town. The team called him back up for the 4-3 loss against the Sabres in which he logged two shots in a little over 12 minutes of ice time. Following the game, Taffe was also sent back down to WBS.
Only one signing thus far for the Penguins following an otherwise poor performance this preseason - forward Adam Hall signed on to a one-year, two-way contract for an undisclosed amount. Last season Hall split between the Rangers and the Wild, tallying 6 goals and 17 points in 72 games. In preseason for the Pens, Hall played in all six games, spending four minutes in the bin and registering a handful of shots, none of which hit the net.
Despite much speculation of his whereabouts on the team’s roster, defenseman Alain Nasreddine finds himself lacing up blades for the season opener Friday night in Carolina. Last season with the Pens, Nasreddine played in 44 games, netting one shot and assisting four others for a five point season. Out of those 44 games, 18 minutes were spent reconciling sins in the box.
Last but not least, the Penguins have begun experimenting with Erik Christensen. Christensen, a natural center, has found a new home on the right wing. Paired with Gary Roberts and Evgeni Malkin, Christensen has said many times over he is willing to take on whatever position would better suit the team. Having a multi-purpose forward never hurt any team.
The roster for the Pens seems to be more or less set. Thus far in practice, the team’s been mixing up lines and experimenting with different units. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to see a different batch of attacks coming both Friday in Carolina and Saturday at home against the Ducks as the team continues to work with the line changes. Till then, with the preseason behind them, the Pens start the season 0-0-0 with a new roster in place and the cup in mind.
The Pens welcome Adam Hall to the roster
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