Welcome to the Black and Gold Society. This is your place for a fresh take on the Pittsburgh sporting world. Including extensive coverage of the Penguins, Pirates and Steelers.
Nine different players for the Penguins have scored a goal or more in the past two games. Chris Kunitz specifically has come out of his injury as if he was better than ever, scoring 2 goals in the game against the Oilers and tallying 3 assists last night in Ottawa. Talk about bolstering a floundering offense, yet the damage was done against the worst team in the West, and now the worst team in the East... even still, one can't deny that having most of their forwards back has heavily helped this team.
The first period was a bit slow as the Penguins were getting into their system but once they got to it, they never left it and kept the pedal to the metal the entire game. Johnson made a couple of spectacular saves in the first to keep things alive, and Tyler Kennedy puts a deflection in off a Paul Martin blue line slapper, off two posts and behind the net to get the first goal of the game, and his ninth goal in 20 games. including 2 game winners.T.K All Day continues to put on a good Crosby impression down in front of the net.
In the wild second period of this game is when it really opened up. In the first 3:05 of the second period there were three goals scored. The first, came off of Jordan Staal's effort to stay with the puck after a few shots rang off of Kunitz's and T.K's sticks, Staal finds the puck in front of the crease and dumps it in 2-0 Pens, 1:21 gone in the 2nd. Not to be outdone the Senators took control of the offensive zone after a Michalek penalty and put one behind Johnson, it was the last goal they'd earn that evening, 2-1 pens after 2:08 was gone in the second. "The Penguins need to answer back and fast." I remember saying to myself, and not within but another minute, at 3:05 in the second, Kunitz along the boards, puts it down low behind the net to Staalsy, he kicks out to Lovejoy in the circles, slapshot, goal 3-1 Penguins. Hell of a 3 minute period, but it wasn't over yet.
It would go to review but ultimately Toronto says: "It's a good goal!" Pens go up 4-1 and the last 12 minutes of the period tick away.
What really impressed me was the team kept the pressure on, they didn't let up, they wouldn't let up. Including Alexei Kovalev, who even despite having boos rained down upon him by Ottawa fans who apparently don't understand Kovy was traded, not asked to be traded, was able to do work on this goal that kept the play alive and got it to the right players to make it all happen. Take a look:
Kovalev battles, battles and battles along the corner boards to keep the play alive in the zone, only when the double team comes does he dish the puck out to Jeffrey behind the net, who gets it to Michalek in the circle and blasts one home for his third goal in four games.The true testament to this play was Kovalev's work ethic and his desire to win with this team, to play his role and be a part of something special, he did just that on this play and solidifies why he is still a force in the NHL.
Two points for the Penguins that are much needed, the offense is opening up even if on bad teams, Crosby is skating, and things are turning around injury wise, 3 points outside of Philly and first place, and a tightening playoff race await us.
With just 11 games left in the regular season the Penguins (4-3-3 in last 10) will take on the Senators (6-4-0 in last 10) for the fourth time this year, the Penguins lead this series 2-1. This will be the first game these two teams have met since the Alexei Kovalev trade, a trade which is working out handsomely for Dan Bylsma. "He’s fit in tremendously." the newly extended headcoach said of Kovalev, "The first meeting I had with him, he said, ‘Tell me what you’d like me to do. Tell me what my role is. Tell me what I’m doing well and what I’m not. I just want to help this team win. I can be a leader on this team.” He’s done all of that." That he has. It didn't take long for Kovy' to come into his own again in a Penguins sweater scoring his first goal of the 10-11 season as a Pen against the Maple Leafs. It is his only point this year but his production has still been there. He has set up many opportunities that just have not been capitalized on yet, or simply didn't get past the goaltender.
Kris Letang offers words of advice to Kovalev during his first game back as a Penguin at RBC Center on Feb, 25th 2011.
Injury wise the Penguins are starting to come out of the rut they were in prior to the trading deadline. Almost all the forwards with the exception of Arron Asham, Eric Tangradi, Nick Johnson, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Mike Comrie are back, however on Defense the team is without the services of Matt Niskanen (Flu) and Brooks Oprik (Finger). Crosby has been on the ice the past couple of days and is beginning his rehab process. Comrie, and Asham have been doing workouts and skates for some time now. Comrie most likely will not return to action after missing almost the entire season, trying to fit his puzzle piece into the picture isn't such an easy task to do anymore with the players on this team who have been producing. Especially when Max Talbot is getting dangerously closer to healthy scratch status.
Goaltending has been the backbone of this team throughout the injury crisis, and Fleury has recorded his third straight 30 win season with the Penguins. Fleury won't be in net tonight, but instead we will see Big Brent Johnson and his menacing image in between the pipes.Fleury has been the talk of not only HART trophy contention but goaltender of the year contention as well, many will argue against this but it's hard to refute that the Penguins are still just within three points of the Flyers because of the brick wall Fleury puts up in net.
Lineups tonight are a little up in the air due to the defensive injuries this team has suffered recently, no line ups were posted from practice. The possible line-ups should look something like this, but expect the defensive pairings to most likely be different:
James Neal - Mark Letestu - Alex Kovalev
Chris Kunitz - Jordan Staal - Tyler Kennedy
Matt Cooke - Dustin Jeffrey - Pascal Dupuis
Mike Rupp - Maxime Talbot - Craig Adams
Paul Martin - Zbynek Michalek
Corey Potter - Kris Letang
Ben Lovejoy - Deryk Engelland
Big Brent Johnson will be between the Pipes for the Penguins.
During Sundays game against Edmonton the Penguins had to use five defensivemen because of Matt Niskanen's bout with the flu. It appears he is still battling with that illness and did not travel with the team to Ottawa to play against the Senators. Paul Martin also did not skate this morning however will be playing in the game tonight along with Kris Letang. With that being the case the Penguins had called up two d'men for the game tonight against the Senators. From Wilkes-Barre Scranton the Penguins have called up Corey Potter (left) and Steve Wagner.
Potter in his first season with the Wilkes Barre Boys is putting up 27 points in 62 games, only two goals but with 25 assists to back it up he knows how to get it to the guys who need it, and how to get pucks on net to create rebound opportunities. Potter has played a few NHL games with the Rangers and scored a goal and an assist. With Potters propensity to help others score lets hope he can help light the lamp tonight.
Wagner (right) is in his second year with the Wilkes-Barre Pens and has 26 points of his own in 64 games this year, scoring five goals and tallying 21 assists. Wagner has played in 46 career games so far in the NHL, all of those games were played with the St. Louis Blues. In his tenure there as a Blue, he was able to tally four goals and eight assists for 12 points in the NHL.
With Paul Martin and Kris Letang ready to go on defense, Corey Potter has been slated as starting as well tonight, unknown yet if Wagner will be included in the line up sharing time with Potter, but Corey will definitely be out on the starting six on Defense.
Sidney Crosby beats the entire Capitals line at the Verizon Center, December 23rd, 2010.
Well after what seemed like four seasons off the ice, Crosby is back out there working the wheels and doing some stick handling. Don't expect anything too quickly most likely the first round of the Playoffs if at all. There is the possibility he could of been working out at home, staying in shape when he can while preparing with the team as best he could and studying his opposition night in and night out...I hope at least.
Either way, the league should be afraid. James Neal with Sidney Crosby and Alexei Kovalev?! Letang and Orpik on the first line D? In the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs? Possibly against Washington or Tampa Bay? Are you serious? This is shaping up to be something scary for the other teams, not so much for Crosby.
One step at a time, and it will all piece itself back together.
So lots has been happening since I wrote my game day for the devils game, a game I'd rather not speak about after Brent Johnson couldn't recover in overtime. A game that had horrible foreshadowing for the events that took place in Boston afterward. Seeing Fleury on the ice in OT against Boston not being able to get up in time was scarily reminiscent to the night before but I digress, we won that game and I'll admit, I could watch Dustin Jeffrey score that goal in OT all day long, so join me.
Then finally, in what took about exactly a month, the Penguins won in regulation against the Sabres, who if anyone was paying attention, haven't beaten the Penguins in two seasons, 0-6. Felt good, the game was good, Neal got his first goal as a Penguin and first goal in I think 15 games or so, it was a long drought. Then, out of no where Zybenek Michalek, lets two rippers go through for goals, one was a letestu deflection, Pen's fans everywhere went ballistic. Chris Kunitz was a game time decision against Buffalo but he still came out and played hard, we now have almost all the pieces back, but are starting to run out of room on the board to put them.
Michalek vs the World. Michalek 2-0
This Injury list used to be about 40 pages long, but now it's down to about one. Arron Asham, Nick Johnson and Eric Tangradi are still suffering from concussion like symptoms along with Sidney Crosby, Crosby unfortunately hasn't been practicing, or even working out. Mike Comrie is still out nursing his hip injury like your grandparents, Malkin is well yeah we all know that, Brooks Orpik continues to miss time for a couple more weeks with his broken finger. Any Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pen's that were on injured reserve prior to March 1st, are not eligible for the AHL playoffs.
Somehow, the Penguins have stayed within 2 points of the Flyers, despite missing almost all of their players and their two biggest stars. That somehow? Well it would have to be the exceptional work ethic and coaching of one "Disco" Dan Bylsma. After capturing his 100th win he celebrated his 2 year anniversary with the Pens. It looks like we'll be getting a chance at one point to possibly celebrate half a decade of Disco's tutelage.He became the third fastest coach in Penguins history to record 100 wins, and already has won the Stanley Cup for the 'guins.
It's very obvious that he and Ray Shero have a very good working relationship, and they see eye to eye on where the team needs improvement, where it is exceptional and where to take it in the future. “Dan has very quickly established himself as one of the best coaches in the National Hockey League,” Shero said. “He has been a perfect fit for our organization since day one, and we look forward to having him leading our team for the next three seasons." Shero went on to compliment his coach even more saying, “I think what we’ve been able to accomplish so far his season, even with players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal out of the lineup for extended periods of time, is a testament to his coaching system, his adaptability, and his composure under pressure.”
Bylsma essentially was not very removed from the league before coming back to Coach after retiring as a player. Pascal Dupuis, then with the Minnesota Wild played against Bylsma in the 2003 Western Conference finals. During his 2 year anniversary moments with the team Fleury had very good words to say about his coach; “I think since the first day he came in, he’s always had the same attitude... We buy into his system and play the way he wants – (which is) always play for the next shift, no matter what happens. Just keep playing and keep playing hard. I think he showed that we can win that way, and he’s a guy that, even through tough times, stays positive.”
A key trait to have when your team is suffering as many injuries as this one, yet still only 2 points out of first place in the East. Congratulations again to Disco Dan for this new contract and additional congrats to James Neal and Zybenek Michalek for breaking their scoring droughts, and of course congrats to the team for taking 2 points in regulation time again!
Canadiens on Saturday at home in PA. Lets go Pens!
Pens vs Devils, the fourth match-up between these two teams so far this year. The series is led 2-1 by the Penguins, however they lost against the Devils in their last outing on January 20th, a game much like today's with the absence of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Injuries are still an issue for the Penguins, but give them a little bit of credit as they came out of Toronto on Wednesday night without losing a player to injury.
New Jersey has turned things on of late going 18-2-2 since January 9th, and 9-1 in their last 10 games. Pittsburgh is a paltry 3-4-3 in their past 10 games and has not won a game in regulation since February 4th.It was speculated that Chris Kunitz would be back for this game however Bylsma announced he won't be attending tonights game in Jersey, he may however play tomorrow night in Boston.
Mark Letestu was recently given top line duties with Kovalev and Neal, he didn't come out and do too well last time against the Leafs but he was getting into his role as the game progressed. Hopefully after a bit more time together this line will work some magic and help Neal get his first goal as a Penguin, so that Errey can freak out about grabbing the puck for the guy who netted it.
Defensively Niskanen and Lovejoy are coming into their own as well. Niskanen tallied his first 2 point game since 2009, and Lovejoy was all over the ice on Wed against the Leafs. With Orpik out still both of these guys will be on the ice for the Penguins D, however Penalty Killing is not a crutch and the team knows they can't lean on it.When asked about the P.K "One thing we have to do a better job of is staying out of the penalty box. Keep teams from testing our penalty kill too much." Bylsma said, "We’re comfortable in those situations and it’s that time of year where games tighten up and it feels more like playoffs."
That is definitely what the Devils have been trying to do since going on this "one game at a time" mentality. Win every game possible, one at a time, just like the playoffs. They've tightened up significantly but the Pens have studied up and been practicing for this type of situation. Based on practice and Wednesday's game we can expect the same line ups.
Predicted Line ups for tonight's game:
Offense
James Neal - Mark Letestu - Alex Kovalev
Matt Cooke - Jordan Staal - Tyler Kennedy
Maxime Talbot - Dustin Jeffrey - Pascal Dupuis
Mike Rupp - Craig Adams - Chris Conner
Defense
Paul Martin - Zbynek Michalek
Kris Letang - Deryk Engelland
Matt Niskanen - Ben Lovejoy
Between the pipes for the Penguins? Big Brent Johnson! Fully healthy and here to give Fleury some rest in a back to back series.
What I said during the game day write up for Jan 20th:
Tonight we're going to have a match-up between what used to be a really good team, and what used to be a really bad team. The Penguins meet the Devils tonight in Jersey, without both of their star players. This is the first time that this has happened since February of 2006, back then Geno wasn't even on the team! To fill the void Byslma has called up Dustin Jeffrey again and put him up on the first line against the Devils.
Ah to live in a world where only calling up Dustin Jeffrey was the least of our worries...
Penguins faced off against the Leafs again last night, unfortunately for the Penguins they only came away with a point after allowing the Leafs to tie the game and send it to O.T. Chris Conner was playing out of his mind in short 10-20 second bursts. One such burst resulted in what should of been the go ahead goal in a nice single handed effort.
Niskanen also tallied his first goal of the season last night and first goal as a Penguin, James Neal's scoring drought continues despite several good opportunities last night to score. Coming away with one point in last nights game is honestly a bit upsetting simply because there were several opportunities to put the game away that weren't capitalized on. Missed passes to the slot taken as shots on goal instead, over passing and turning over the puck leading to multiple breakaways, not getting back to the slot on defense, a myriad of things that need to change.
The team is still getting used to each other especially as new bodies get added to the line up, but the Penguins haven't won a game in regulation since February 4th. Tomorrow being March 4th lets hope they can break the almost 30 day snide and put a game away within 60 minutes of hockey.
Fleury made several excellent saves but ultimately wasn't able to keep the tide from turning in the favor of the Leafs. With a slew of tough games coming up this month almost all against playoff contenders or teams playing as though they're in playoff mode, the Pens need to come away with more wins than losses this month.It's looking very ominously like a Pens vs Caps 1st round playoff match up, doing anything possible to avoid this would be ideal. Even if the Capitals can't get past the first round of the playoffs.
