11/25/09-Canadiens vs. Penguins: 3-1 W

I think this game showed how a team like the Penguins can overcome some significant injuries because of the top end talent they have, where as a team like the Canadiens just can’t. They’re very banged up at the moment and simply can’t keep up with most of the rest of the league. Regardless I don’t think the season has gone at all like they planned even before all the injuries hit.

The Penguins were in control for most of the game, especially after the first goal was scored. Montreal never really sustained a lot of pressure save for a couple situations around the opposing net and obviously the goal by Pacioretty.

It was another one of those game’s where I couldn’t help but feel for Malkin. Pascal Dupuis simply isn’t fit for anything more than a temporary third line role and Ruslan Fedotenko has been virtually unnoticeable except for scoring a handful of goals so far this year. Obviously Crosby will always be the Mario’s favorite child and with good reason: both players are pretty equal talentwise but Crosby sells more tickets and merchandise. It’s just a little ridiculous at times, for instance: The original plan was for Talbot to play on Malkin’s wing, but obviously Talbot was hurt to start the season. He comes back and whoops, Kunitz happens to be hurt so he goes on to Crosby’s line. It may have been a genuine coach’s decision but things like that plus the total disregard to find him quality linemates needs to change in the next few years. That’s a lot of time so no need to panic but players WILL leave if they have options and feel like they’d be treated better somewhere else. My point is it’s bad enough that he would be the center of attention and #1 franchise player somewhere else, so there’s no need to pile on by making his on-ice experience a living hell. That might sound dramatic but there’s really no excuse for the quality of his linemates. It would be nice to see a Guerin-type trade made to supplement Malkin’s talent for once and not Crosby’s.

11/23/09-Penguins vs. Panthers: 3-2 W OT

What a crazy game. I think that’s being polite, what with how the Penguins performed for most of the game. Sure, the Panthers are hot right now and there are some injuries blah blah, but I didn’t like much of anything in the way of how they performed tonight.

For most of the game we were treated to a team that looked to be in slow motion. The opposition are like rabid dogs as soon as a Penguin receives a pass, which usually isn’t a very good one. Weird choices on defense contribute to a goal or two, and at the other end the Penguins sometimes actually cycle the puck a bit only to have it eventually taken away, all the while not realizing that they’ve been going around in circles on the perimeter the whole time with no pucks penetrating the middle of the ice.

Maybe I’m embellishing a bit, but it would all ring true if they didn’t commit highway robbery and win this game in overtime. Yes, I realize it’s one game but we’ve seen this before against Ottawa just recently. The Penguins were lucky to not fall too far behind this time and pour it on late which they’ve had a decent amount of success doing in the past given their talent.

As always it’s only one game, and yes you can’t ignore the (still) notable injury list. The thing of it is there’s not much left to provide a shot in the arm for the forwards. Kennedy will play a nice third line role like usual, but Chris Kunitz has to at least stay on pace for 60 points in an 82 game season (given he’s missed some time). As far as I’m concerned, so far this year he’s basically been Matt Cooke with a fat paycheck. Not good enough. Also, far be it for me to question Crosby or Malkin but while they’ve played pretty well, neither of them have been dominant for a good long while. That’s what they get paid for and along with strong goaltending that’s what this team is built on. It’s a tough criticism, but as strange as it is to say, if Crosby and Malkin each only ring up about 90 points this year it’s not enough.

Hopefully the stabilization of the forward lines will be enough to get them focused and maybe result in a few more goals. Obviously the defense is ravaged right now so patience is probably the best approach when it comes to them.

11/21/09-Penguins vs. Thrashers: 3-2 W

I admit I watched this game on mute, which given Steigerwald and Errey not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Anyways, I may have been a bit distracted.

It was nice to see Brooks Orpik back in the lineup, and aside from a slight meltdown late in the game I thought the Penguins played well. Ilya Kovalchuk wasn’t nearly as noticeable as he usually is, and giving up two goals late made the game look a lot closer than it really was (up until the last few minutes obviously). The Thrashers also gave up a lot of odd man rushes, which I would’ve liked to see maybe one more goal from the Penguins out of those but (cliche warning) at the end of the day a win is a win.

11/19/09-Penguins vs. Senators: 6-2 L

This was obviously a game that slipped away, and it’s funny how in this league if you let up or find yourself off balance for a few minutes, the game can take a dramatic turn.

The Penguins started well enough with Jordan Staal scoring his sixth of the season about a minute and a half into the game. They even managed one or two more odd man rushes but couldn’t convert. After that everything changed though.

I’d give most of the reason for this loss as credit to the Senators for playing a brilliant game. Their play in the defensive zone was impeccable, not allowing any Penguin forwards to enter the middle of the ice with the puck. On offense they buried their chances and while Sergei Gonchar was getting back into the swing of things and three minor leaguers were given regular minutes again due to injuries, had some great exhibitions of cycling in the offensive zone as well.

Overall you could tell the Penguin defensive corps was springing leaks. Again, with Gonchar playing his first game since being injured and some of the adrenaline wearing off of the AHL fill-ins since their callups it all amounted to a porous game in the Penguin zone. Brooks Orpik was questionable to play tonight so hopefully he’ll be back on Saturday to add some more stability.

On another note the power play continues to struggle despite Malkin returning. I’m not really sure what the complainers want Mike Yeo to draw up but I doubt there’s anything special he can do. There’s plenty of talent on the ice so the Penguins should be scoring power play goals 18-20% of the time regardless (they’re 29th in the league at 16.3% currently). I hate to beat a dead horse but just TRY splitting up Malkin and Crosby on separate power plays. Even if it’s just for one game. As they say, there’s only one puck. If that’s the problem splitting the two up will solve it and if not what’s the down side? I believe they’ve scored 3 power play goals in their last 30-40 attempts. It can’t hurt.

11/16/09-Ducks vs. Penguins: 5-2 W

Just like Saturday, it’s amazing how much easier the games are to watch when a 100 point scorer returns to the lineup. This was a sloppy game with a lot of broken plays, but just wanted to point out again how crucial it is for Malkin and Crosby to be in the lineup at all times.

Despite a lot of injuries, particularly on the blue line at this point, the Penguins team play has been decent overall. All the fill-ins on defense are making the most of what they have to offer and taking advantage of the opportunity. You don’t see anyone playing timid, and if anything they’ve been aggressive at the right times. For what it’s worth Mark Eaton has also been very good at knowing when to step in and provide a little support offensively.

Another good thing is that supporting players are starting to contribute again. Cooke had two goals including an empty net, Staal scored and so did Guerin again.

Overall the Ducks didn’t play their best game, and the Penguins probably didn’t either but they were much more consistent. Getzlaf played well, and his 2 goals on the season is a mystery to me, but Bobby Ryan looks like less of an impact player than he did last year. Who knows, maybe he did in fact get hurt when he ran into Crosby. The Ducks also look a little light on defense without Chris Pronger. Despite what some people say I think Scott Niedermayer is nearing the end and his play HAS dropped off considerably. Wisniewski is a nice player who can play a middling role on a defensive corps, but Ryan Whitney needs to be more visible in all areas if the Ducks want to justify acquiring him. He was never a bad player (as some Pens fans would have you believe) but he tends to sometimes be a passenger when in fact he has the skills to make the difference on a lot of nights.

11/14/09-Bruins vs. Penguins: 6-5 W OT

My apologies for no updates this past week! I think the losses and mediocre play all around lulled me to sleep!

This game was certainly an improvement over what we’ve been seeing for the past couple weeks. Obviously Malkin returning makes the forward roster ten times more dangerous, and him being dressed seemed to give everyone a little adrenaline.

Malkin and Crosby looked great together, perhaps because Crosby was thankful for having a competent linemate and the same for Malkin (aside from just being back period). Brent Johnson played okay. Giving up 5 goals is never a good thing, and he did give up one bad one, but got out of there with the win. The fill-ins and defense also played very respectably.

Beyond Crosby and Malkin there still needs to be some other forwards stepping up. Pascal Dupuis (surprisingly) has 5 goals I believe, and as much as I usually loathe him I have to say no one can point the finger at him right now production-wise. At least Guerin came up huge just before time expired. I wasn’t sure if he still had a pulse lately.

On a side note, this was the most exciting regular season game I have attended in a long time. A tying goal with 0.4 seconds left and an OT winner (i.e., no shootout), clean play and lots of goals makes for a spectacular game.

11/07/09-Penguins vs. Sharks: 5-0 L

Well, if the Pens so-so performance against the Kings the other night bothered you, here’s proof that you were on to something. The Penguins looked like crap, and no one really played too well. It was like an extension of the last game, but amplified being that tonight involved a much better opponent.

Is Crosby hurt? I don’t think so, but I’m searching for answers. He’s not playing poorly, but he’s definitely not taking charge either. He needs to. Both of his linemates have been in my doghouse for most of the year, and both still are, but Crosby needs to power through and be the captain and leader of this team, especially now when they need him the most amidst some very impactful injuries.

Of course, other players need to play better too. Staal continues to be ho-hum most nights, Fedotenko is damn near invisible, Orpik might as well be 30 lbs. lighter, and Skoula has a stick up his ass. Kris Letang could also take charge a little more in the offensive zone, however it looks like he’ll also be on the injury list.

11/05/09-Penguins vs. Kings: 5-2 L

I only caught this game off and on at a bar, but I did see a good bit of it on the replay the day after.

It appears the Penguins’ key injuries are catching up to them a little bit. With only 18 shots about midway through the 3rd period, the Penguins let up two quick goals to make it 4-2 and that was all she wrote.

It was probably bound to happen. They have a lot of firepower on the injury report right now, just have to hope it doesn’t turn into a streak. I was actually impressed with the Kings. They seemed to play a pretty solid game, and Jonathan Quick had a very good game in goal. It also looks like Anze Kopitar maybe taking charge as the team’s leader and justifying his big paycheck status. Last night was probably a good indication of LA’s potential once all their youngsters are fully comfortable.

11/03/09-Penguins vs. Ducks: 4-3 W

Sorry for the lack of posts last weekend, I was actually out and about for once.

This game had an interesting turn of events (obviously). Nothing like being tied 2-2, trading goals with your opponent and then taking the lead, all in a matter of something like two minutes. That’s just what the Penguins did, and it got them a valuable win in their first game of a west coast road trip.

I don’t really have anything groundbreaking to say, it was a valuable win though as I said. One note though: It was kind of nice to see the Ducks swarm the Penguins in the last 3-4 minutes of the game. I don’t know why but for some reason I don’t see team successfully doing that as much in the last few years. It ALWAYS happened back in the day, with the team in the lead having to whether the storm. Nowadays it just seems like most of the time teams are ready for it and there’s a lot of dumping the puck out without icing it and re-attempting to enter the zone. The Penguins seem to swarm a lot at the end of games, but maybe that’s just due to the offensive talent they have. Oh well, just some food for thought. Let me know if you agree or disagree that you don’t see this nearly as often these days.

10/28/09-Canadiens vs. Penguins: 6-1 W

Well it looks like the injury to Evgeni Malkin will keep things interesting for the next 2-3 weeks, as if Gonchar’s injury wasn’t enough. With Malkin’s shoulder problem the Penguins put even more of a load on Crosby’s…..er, shoulders. The good news is he looks primed to take on the task. His hat track puts him at 9 goals for the year which is a nice pace.

Also good to see if the Penguins still playing great team hockey and really stifling just about every opponent they’ve played. Obviously they have a couple losses but they’re simply cleaning up against teams that have any apparent weaknesses. Montreal just doesn’t seem to have it this year, as was expected by many from the start. Andrei Markov missing from an already weak defense really hurts their chances. I’ll still stick by my #7 ranking of them though, simply because I don’t see anyone else taking charge and earning that spot at year’s end. The Rangers are making an interesting case though………

One thing the Penguins can’t afford is another impactful injury. For as much talent as they have everyone has their breaking point. Brent Johnson shouldn’t be trusted to play every night if Fleury goes down simply because of his past back problems. Also, if Jordan Staal gets hurt all of a sudden the Penguins have one legit NHL center in their entire lineup. Not good.

Speaking of Staal, even with the above being said some people need to temper their expectations of him, at least at this stage in his career. Just because the Penguins have elite talent in the first two center spots doesn’t automatically mean that Staal would be a 2nd or 1st line center somewhere else. Let me rephrase that: It MIGHT mean that he would be, but he wouldn’t be good at it. A second line center? Okay I’ll buy that I guess, only because you can be an effective second line center and get 60 points in a season, which I think Staal COULD do if he was getting a lot of PP time. First line center? Absolutely not. People tend to forget he can’t pass worth a lick.

I could write a book about Staal (as well as many others I know!) but the truth is we should all still be in the “wait and see” phase when it comes to his potential. He’s still very young, and for every streak like the one he had to start the year there’s a streak like the one he’s in the middle of now (invisible for 3 straight games). Say it with me: let’s wait and see.