Sometimes you play a pretty bad game and you still win. They call that stealing a win. The Penguins stole a win against arguably the best team in the NHL and while they still gave up a point I don't think it much matters. Two points is two points. After getting soundly beaten the night before by San Jose the Penguins were outplayed for much of the game last night but Marc-Andre Fleury kept them in it and they were able to beat Jonas Hiller and TWO POINTS.
Fleury stopped 29-of-31 shots and he was seeing a lot of action. It really seemed like the Penguins never had the puck, and if you look at the shot totals you can probably see a good reason why it would seem like they never touched the puck. The Penguins had 17 shots, total, through 65 minutes of action and somehow they were able to score a pair of goals and win.
The Penguins had only three shots in the first period and four shots in the second period. The franchise low for shots in a game was 11 shots and for much of the third period there was a though they could match that. It was that bad.
The first shot of the game for the Penguins came 7:47 into the first period and it actually resulted in a goal. A Deryk Engelland goal. This season I have been pretty down on Engelland when Dan Bylsma has put him on defense but when he's played left wing on the fourth line I think he's been a pretty nice asset to have. He seems to know what he is doing and has six goals on the season so I really don't see much reason for him not to play the wing. I surely feel a lot better with him there than Chuck Kobasew.
Anyways, the Penguins never got behind more than one. Despite the Ducks controlling play and getting unlimited good looks they didn't take the next lead until a minute into the third period and that gave the Penguins some time. Sure, they hadn't got any shots but with guys like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz and company it only takes one shift to turn the tide of the game.
That shift came on the power play. The goal came from Malkin. Just a massive, massive goal around halfway through the third period. At this point you just prayed that the Penguins could stem the tide and get to overtime. They weren't going to score another goal and they really needed this point. They did that.
In overtime the Penguins carried play. Crosby looked like a man possessed to end the game and nearly did on a breakaway but Hiller was able to make the save. The Penguins just kept coming in waves but the overtime is only five minutes and it was to a shootout.
The shootout was pretty exciting. MAF made saves when he needed to and the Ducks scored when they needed to. MAF was the difference in this game. It is a drum that has been beaten over and over but the regular season doesn't matter for MAF in the eyes of, well, everyone. Games like this are why I still think he is going to bounce back and he stole two points for the Penguins. They don't need the two points in terms of making the playoffs or winning the Metro but they needed something on this West Coast trip and they got that.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Penguins Game 63 Preview - @ Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Mighty Ducks
10:00 p.m., Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
The Last Penguins Game
March 6, 2014 - San Jose 5, Pittsburgh 3
Probables
Pittsburgh (41-17-4)
Forwards
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Brian Gibbons
Jussi Jokinen - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Marcel Goc - Brandon Sutter - Lee Stempniak
Tanner Glass - Craig Adams - Deryk Engelland
Defense
Rob Scuderi - Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik - Olli Maatta
Simon Despres - Robert Bortuzzo
Goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury
Anaheim (43-14-6) (via Dailyfaceoff)
Forwards
Kyle Palmieri - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry
Patrick Maroon - Nick Bonino - Jakob Silfverberg
Daniel Winnik - Saku Koivu - Andrew Cogliano
Matt Beleskey - Rickard Rakell - Teemu Selanne
Defense
Francois Beauchemin - Hampus Lindholm
Ben Lovejoy - Cam Fowler
Bryan Allen - Mark Fistric
Goaltender
Jonas Hiller
Season Series (Pittsburgh leads 1-0)
November 18, 2013 - Pittsburgh 3, Anaheim 1
Stats
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Penguins Game 62 Preview - @ San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
10:30 p.m., HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
The Last Penguins Game
March 4, 2014 - Pittsburgh 3, Nashville 1 [Recap]
Probables
Pittsburgh (41-16-4) (via Empty Netters)
Forwards
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Brian Gibbons
Jussi Jokinen - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Marcel Goc - Brandon Sutter - Lee Stempniak
Tanner Glass - Craig Adams - Deryk Engelland
Defense
Rob Scuderi - Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik - Olli Maatta
Simon Despres - Robert Bortuzzo
Goaltender
Jeff Zatkoff
San Jose (39-17-7) (via Dailyfaceoff)
Forwards
Joe Pavelski - Joe Thornton - Brent Burns
Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Matthew Nieto
Raffi Torres - James Sheppard - Tommy Wingels
Martin Havlat - Andrew Desjardins - Adam Burish
Defense
Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Jason Demers
Matt Irwin - Justin Braun
Scott Hannan - Dan Boyle
Goaltender
Antti Niemi
Season Series (Pittsburgh leads 1-0)
December 5, 2014 - Pittsburgh 5, San Jose 1
Stats
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Penguins Acquire Goc and Stempniak
The Penguins made a few moves today when they picked up Marcel Goc from Florida for a third and a fifth round draft pick and then picked up Lee Stempniak from the Flames for a third round pick. Both are unrestricted free agents at the end of the season with Goc making $2.5M and Stempniak making $2.5M.
The Pensblog had a quick breakdown of Stempniak from Flames blog Flames Nation about him. Overall it seems like he is a role player that can make a few things happen. It will be interesting to see where the Penguins put him. I have seem some saying that he could play on the win with Sidney Crosby while he could also make the bottom six better than they are now. To be honest I don't know a whole ton about Stempniak but I think he could be a nice depth option for them.
Goc will also help the bottom six and has 23 points (11+12) this season. Goc is a center and is one of those do-it-all type of guys. He is one goal away from tying a career high but in Florida he was getting tough minutes against tough competition and was fairing pretty well against them. His Corsi-On was third among forwards for the Panthers and he won nearly 53% of his face-offs. That isn't bad to have. He is a physical guy which will get fans excited and he is better than what the Penguins currently have.
The big news today was that the Penguins did not get Vancouver's Ryan Kesler. A lot was made in the days leading up to the deadline that Kesler might land in Pittsburgh. He had a no trade clause and already rejected trades to numerous teams. The Penguins were a team he was interested in coming to and while the price was a little high the perception was that Ray Shero was going to pay it.
It seemed like the Penguins were going to package Brandon Sutter, Derrick Pouliot, and some draft picks to get Kesler but in the end it didn't happen. The rumor out there was that the Vancouver ownership nixed the possible trade but that is all speculation based on some things I read as the trade deadline was wrapping up. Who knows what happened but I think getting Kesler would have been a nice move.
All-in-all I think it was a pretty good day for the Penguins. They got better and all they gave up were draft picks. The Penguins are still an injury riddled team that needs to get healthy fast but I think Shero had a tough time with his options not knowing what is going to happen with Paul Martin and Kris Letang going forward. The Penguins got a couple of guys that can help them and make them better immediately. Time will tell if these are good trades but I feel pretty good about them now.
The Pensblog had a quick breakdown of Stempniak from Flames blog Flames Nation about him. Overall it seems like he is a role player that can make a few things happen. It will be interesting to see where the Penguins put him. I have seem some saying that he could play on the win with Sidney Crosby while he could also make the bottom six better than they are now. To be honest I don't know a whole ton about Stempniak but I think he could be a nice depth option for them.
Goc will also help the bottom six and has 23 points (11+12) this season. Goc is a center and is one of those do-it-all type of guys. He is one goal away from tying a career high but in Florida he was getting tough minutes against tough competition and was fairing pretty well against them. His Corsi-On was third among forwards for the Panthers and he won nearly 53% of his face-offs. That isn't bad to have. He is a physical guy which will get fans excited and he is better than what the Penguins currently have.
The big news today was that the Penguins did not get Vancouver's Ryan Kesler. A lot was made in the days leading up to the deadline that Kesler might land in Pittsburgh. He had a no trade clause and already rejected trades to numerous teams. The Penguins were a team he was interested in coming to and while the price was a little high the perception was that Ray Shero was going to pay it.
It seemed like the Penguins were going to package Brandon Sutter, Derrick Pouliot, and some draft picks to get Kesler but in the end it didn't happen. The rumor out there was that the Vancouver ownership nixed the possible trade but that is all speculation based on some things I read as the trade deadline was wrapping up. Who knows what happened but I think getting Kesler would have been a nice move.
All-in-all I think it was a pretty good day for the Penguins. They got better and all they gave up were draft picks. The Penguins are still an injury riddled team that needs to get healthy fast but I think Shero had a tough time with his options not knowing what is going to happen with Paul Martin and Kris Letang going forward. The Penguins got a couple of guys that can help them and make them better immediately. Time will tell if these are good trades but I feel pretty good about them now.
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Penguins Game 61 Recap - Penguins 3, Predators 1
The Penguins got back on the winning track with a nice 3-1 win. It was a pretty tight checking game with both teams combined for only 38 shots. After giving up 15 goals in the last three games Marc-Andre Fleury did a nice job in net with the aid of Nashville hitting three posts, but I will take it.
The posts actually made some big plays in the game. Shea Weber hit a post with about three minutes left and then the Penguins scored about 15 seconds later. It wasn't only Nashville that was post happy tonight as the Penguins hit about three themselves. That is part of the game but it seemed like the posts played a little more than usual tonight.
Things actually were pretty close the entire game except for like a couple of minutes early in the second period. The Penguins got on the board when Matt Niskanen found the back of the net just 27 seconds in. The Penguins had the lead and you felt good. For 12 seconds. No, seriously 12 seconds. The Preds scored 12 seconds after Niskanen did.
The game went back to being really tight checking and conservative until Niskanen scored his second goal of the game in third period with about 12 minutes left. It was his first two goal game of his career and the more he plays the more money he is going to make on the free agent market. The dude is just racking up the dough. Not only has he been great in the defensive end but he has nine goals on the season.
Tanner Glass was also really good tonight. I mean sure he missed a wide open net with about 30 seconds left and the Nashville goaltender pulled but it wasn't even about scoring. Glass was all over the ice tonight. On a Preds power play Brooks Orpik broke his stick and Glass gave him his stick and then went out to block three bullet shots. One in the hand, one in the arm, and one in the leg. They look like they hurt. Later on another Nashville power play he stood in front of another shot and blocked it. I am not a huge believer that "intangibles" makes a player good but tonight they made Glass good. He blocked five shots on the night and even though he wasn't anywhere else on the scoresheet in just over 11 minutes of ice time he played one of his better games of the season.
MAF was pretty good tonight. He didn't make any great saves and the Preds didn't really put a ton of pressure on him but he got the job done. Maybe the best play of the night was when he almost factored into a goal. Right before Niskanen's power play goal he went out to challenge a 50/50 puck around the blue line and looked like it could be a disaster. Somehow he got the puck to Sidney Crosby who found Evgeni Malkin and then Niskanen. Watch it here:
Pretty cool stuff. One of the weirder goals of the season.
Crosby had a very quiet three point night. Malkin added an assist and was all over the ice.
Chris Kunitz scored the insurance goal for his 200th of his career. Good for him.
All-in-all a really solid game to get back into the win column. The Metro Division race is already over and the Penguins will probably win the Eastern Conference but they still need to stay focused. Nashville isn't an overly great team but that doesn't matter. A win is a win.
The posts actually made some big plays in the game. Shea Weber hit a post with about three minutes left and then the Penguins scored about 15 seconds later. It wasn't only Nashville that was post happy tonight as the Penguins hit about three themselves. That is part of the game but it seemed like the posts played a little more than usual tonight.
Things actually were pretty close the entire game except for like a couple of minutes early in the second period. The Penguins got on the board when Matt Niskanen found the back of the net just 27 seconds in. The Penguins had the lead and you felt good. For 12 seconds. No, seriously 12 seconds. The Preds scored 12 seconds after Niskanen did.
The game went back to being really tight checking and conservative until Niskanen scored his second goal of the game in third period with about 12 minutes left. It was his first two goal game of his career and the more he plays the more money he is going to make on the free agent market. The dude is just racking up the dough. Not only has he been great in the defensive end but he has nine goals on the season.
Tanner Glass was also really good tonight. I mean sure he missed a wide open net with about 30 seconds left and the Nashville goaltender pulled but it wasn't even about scoring. Glass was all over the ice tonight. On a Preds power play Brooks Orpik broke his stick and Glass gave him his stick and then went out to block three bullet shots. One in the hand, one in the arm, and one in the leg. They look like they hurt. Later on another Nashville power play he stood in front of another shot and blocked it. I am not a huge believer that "intangibles" makes a player good but tonight they made Glass good. He blocked five shots on the night and even though he wasn't anywhere else on the scoresheet in just over 11 minutes of ice time he played one of his better games of the season.
MAF was pretty good tonight. He didn't make any great saves and the Preds didn't really put a ton of pressure on him but he got the job done. Maybe the best play of the night was when he almost factored into a goal. Right before Niskanen's power play goal he went out to challenge a 50/50 puck around the blue line and looked like it could be a disaster. Somehow he got the puck to Sidney Crosby who found Evgeni Malkin and then Niskanen. Watch it here:
Pretty cool stuff. One of the weirder goals of the season.
Crosby had a very quiet three point night. Malkin added an assist and was all over the ice.
Chris Kunitz scored the insurance goal for his 200th of his career. Good for him.
All-in-all a really solid game to get back into the win column. The Metro Division race is already over and the Penguins will probably win the Eastern Conference but they still need to stay focused. Nashville isn't an overly great team but that doesn't matter. A win is a win.
Penguins Game 61 Preview - @ Nashville Predators
Nashville Predators
8:00 p.m., Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
The Last Penguins Game
March 1, 2014 - Chicago 5, Pittsburgh 1
Probables
Pittsburgh (40-16-4) (via Penguins website)
Forwards
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Brian Gibbons
Jussi Jokinen - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Taylor Pyatt - Brandon Sutter - Joe Vitale
Tanner Glass - Craig Adams - Chuck Kobasew
Defense
Olli Maatta - Matt Niskanen
Rob Scuderi - Robert Bortuzzo
Brooks Orpik - Simon Despres
Goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury
Nashville (26-25-10) (via Dailyfaceoff)
Forwards
Matt Cullen - Mike Fisher - Patric Hornqvist
Gabriel Bourque - David Legwand - Craig Smith
Viktor Stalberg - Colin Wilson - Eric Nystrom
Richard Clune - Paul Gaustad - Simon Moser
Defense
Roman Josi - Shea Weber
Mattias Ekholm - Seth Jones
Michael Del Zotto - Ryan Ellis
Goaltender
Pekka Rinne
Season Series (Pittsburgh leads 1-0)
November 15, 2013 - Pittsburgh 4, Nashville 1
The Stats
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Penguins Game 60 Preview - @ Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
8:00 p.m., Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
The Last Penguins Game
February 27, 2014 - Montreal 6, Pittsburgh 5 [Recap]
Probables
Pittsburgh (40-15-4) (via Dailyfaceoff)
Forwards
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Brian Gibbons
Jussi Jokinen - Evgeni Malkin - James Neal
Tanner Glass - Brandon Sutter - Chuck Kobasew
Taylor Pyatt - Joe Vitale - Craig Adams
Defense
Olli Maatta - Matt Niskanen
Rob Scuderi - Robert Bortuzzo
Brooks Orpik - Simon Despres
Goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury
Chicago (35-12-14) (via Dailyfaceoff)
Forwards
Patrick Sharp - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Kris Versteeg - Peter Regin - Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell - Andrew Shaw - Brandon Saad
Brandon Bollig - Marcus Kruger - Ben Smith
Defense
Duncan Keith - Brent Seabrook
Johnny Oduya - Niklas Hjalmarsson
Nick Leddy - Michal Rozsival
Goaltender
Corey Crawford
Stats
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