Friday, October 31, 2014

RECAP: Banking on that Powerplay



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Obligatory Anthem Pic
  The Penguins faced a banged up LA Kings team last night and rode the powerplay as well as goaltending Marc-Andre Fleury to a 3-0 victory. The Penguins converted on 2/6 powerplay opportunities to keep their powerplay best in the league, clicking at 39.5% (15/38). Malkin fought Justin Williams and wanted to kill Jarret Stoll, Downie gooned it up, and Kunitz scored two goals. All in all a very successful night for the Penguins. 


  The Kings went with backup goalie Martin Jones (who is still actually a stud) as they planned to save Jonathan Quick for Friday's game against Detroit. In addition, the Kings were without star center Anze Kopitar (upper-body), wife beater Slava Voynov and injury prone hero Marian Gaborik. The Penguins did not look good to start as their passes did not seem to connect and they spent a lot of time in their own zone. However, with about 10:45 to go in the first the Pens found themselves on a 5 on 3 man advantage with Toffoli and Doughty sitting in the box. Now, the Pens powerplay is unreal and their 5 on 3 powerplay is even better. Kunitz played catch with Malkin, went to the net and Kunitz tipped Malkin's slap-pass home to put the Pens up 1-0 with his fourth goal of the year. Malkin recorded his 400th NHL assist on that play (We said yesterday look for some random milestone to happen this game, well here you go). The Penguins found themselves on another powerplay with about 4:45 to go in the first the Penguins cashed in on another powerplay. Letang looked like he was attempting to pass to Kunitz or set him up for another redirect when it went off Kings winger Dwight King. 2-0 Pens another powerplay goal, Letang's 1st of the season. 



   There was no scoring however things got chippy. Jarret Stoll was just skating around trying to impress his slam-piece Erin Andrews by slashing Penguin after Penguin. He jousted with Malkin a bit and had words with Downie. Nothing resulted from this, except for rising tensions. Justin Williams and Evgeni Malkin got together along the boards, Williams dropped the gloves first and Malkin just gave him a big Russian bear hug for the takedown. Malkin then tried to pump up the Consol crowd because why not? Downie also tried to get in on the action by taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for trying to fight Stoll as well. Basically now with Downie, you cannot out-goon the Penguins. DOWNIE'S GONNNA KILLL YOUUUUU.




   The third period was mainly LA Kings shooting weak shots on net however the Pens were the only team to score in the third. With about 10:35 to go in the third period Crosby drove to the net with that amazing upper-body strength, got the puck on net with the rebound going to Chris Kunitz who scored from the bottom of the right circle, a pretty tough angle. 3-0 Pens for his second goal of the night and 5th of the season. The real highlight were all the typical Pens "fans" that began to leave early, but since it was the #FSPensSection last night, section 120 let them have it by chanting "Beat the traffic" and "Why are you leaving??" WHAT HEROES. DON'T LEAVE EARLY UNLESS IT'S AN EMERGENCY CIRCUMSTANCE AND EVEN THEN IT CAN PROBABLY WAIT. But seriously, it's good to have a night once in awhile were Consol sounds loud and isn't all corporate season ticket holding trolls.


3rd star: Kris Letang (1 goal ) 

2nd star: Marc-Andre Fleury (shutout, 36 saves)

1st star: Chris Kunitz (2 goals, 1 assist, 3 points) 

Game Notes

  • Malkin recorded his 400th NHL assist on Chris Kunitz's first goal (5th player in Pens history to do so)
  • Powerplay leading the NHL 15/38 (39.5%)
  • Fleury's second shutout in three games
  • Penguins have killed the last 22 penalties, ranking them 11th in the PK
  • Malkin gives great hugs
  • Kings outshot the Pens 36-23, but many of them were weak shots 
  • Penguins blocked a total of 18 shots last night




Next game: Saturday 7PM against the league best Buffalo Sabres 

-LETS GO PENS.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Gameday: Game 9 - Kings at Pens

Consol Energy Center
7:00 PM
TV: ROOT, NHLN
Radio: 105.9 The X

The defending champs are making their lone trip to Pittsburgh tonight as it's Hockey Fights Cancer night at the CEC. Probably gonna be pretty emotional. It's also #FSPensSection with Mikey and Big Bob of the Morning Freak Show on Kiss FM 96.1 so expect Consol to actually be loud for once. Anytime the defending champs show up, you know the Pens are gonna give them their best. The Kings will be missing a couple of key pieces tonight and Martin Jones will be in net over Quick.

Lines (via Daily Faceoff)

Pearson - Carter - Toffoli (That 70's Line)
King - Richards - Brown
Clifford - Stoll (Mr. Erin Andrews) - Williams
Van Der Gulk - Andreoff - Nolan

Muzzin - Doughty
Martinez - Ghost of Regehr
McNabb - Greene

Jones

Kunitz - Crosby - Hornqvist
Dupuis - Malkin - Comeau
Spaling - Sutter - Downie
Sill - Goc - Adams

Maatta - Letang
Ehrhoff - Martin
Despres - Scuderi - Bortuzzo (All Rotated in AM Skate)

Fleury

Game Notes:
  • Bortuzzo could make his debut tonight but we really have no idea
  • Beau Bennett is skating with the team
  • That 70's Line for LA is their most potent line
  • No Kopitar or Quick kinda weakens LA's lineup
  • Slava Voynov decided he wanted to Ray Rice someone so he's suspended
  • There's probably some Pens milestone tonight but idk so we'll tell you in the recap if there is
  • Gonna be an emotional night for Olli Maatta
Do It

Go Pens






Wednesday, October 29, 2014

RECAP: 7 Unanswered Goals *Stunned Face*



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Obligatory Anthem Pic


   What a game. There are simply no other words to describe what last night's Devils vs Penguins game was. At times it was a rather sloppy hockey game, and at times (mainly late second and third periods) the Penguins dominated the play. Although the Penguins definitely had their ups and downs last night, it's clear that under the Johnston administration the status quo is no more. Under Bylsma, giving up a goal nine seconds into the game the Penguins would just lay down and the Devils would begin to trap and make it some boring hockey game with a 1-0 or 2-0 final... not tonight.. not this game...


  The first period can best be described as crazy. So the puck drops and 96% of Penguins "fans" aren't even in their seats yet but that's Consol for you. Either way, Devils win the face-off and sent Dainius Zubrus down the rink, he takes an incredible wrister and beats Fleury glove slide just nine seconds into the game. It was only natural that Pittsburgh hero Jaromir Jagr (the real Double J) gets the assist. Now, if you've ever played hockey and or watched a Pens / Devils game before, a goal nine seconds in is just deflating, a momentum killer and brutal. Especially when the Devils play a trap game that makes hockey borderline unbearable to watch. So deep down, we were thinking good lord... here we go. Then the lightbulb went off... Mike Johnston is coaching not Dan Bylsma. Maybe this isn't over yet. So 7:17 into the first, the Penguins get their first tally on a Marc-Andre Fleury kinda play by then Devils starter Cory Schneider. He goes to play the puck behind the net, something Penguins "fans" are all too used to... gets the puck stolen off him by Dupuis and Comeau does a little NHL 15 poke check to put the puck in the net. Tied at 1 at the end of the first... and we're just getting started here.
  


   So the Penguins get a powerplay about a minute and a half into the second period, and if you've seen the Penguins powerplay lately, you're like "oh awesome, 2-1 Pens they just have to score." Well, Evgeni Malkin had other ideas. Crosby attempted a slap-pass that basically got deflected back to the point to Malkin who botched the puck and sent Jacob Josefson on a breakaway the other way. He tucks a backhand top-shelf behind Fleury and everyone is silent (wait they're always silent because it's Consol Energy Center and the Penguins). So about three minutes later Devils center Stephen Gionta throws a little wrister off of Fleury's pads and the puck is put in off the rebound by Tuomo Ruutu. 3-1 Devils yikes. 


  Here we go. The start of SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN unanswered goals for the Penguins. Let's get started with the Penguins on a 5 on 3 powerplay about three minutes after the Devils scored to make it 3-1. So Evgeni Malkin atoned big time. Letang gets the puck to Malkin who plays catch with #BetterThanRealDeal Patric Hornqvist who dishes the puck back to Malkin for an unreal blast from the point beating Schneider to make it 3-2 a powerplay goal. Malkin's celly was unreal too because he skated over to the glass like some NHL 15 shit like to say "shut up haters" or as if to say #UntradeLazy. The next goal game 12:42 into the second on an amazing stretch pass by Simon Despres, who under Bylsma would never be playing. Despres gets the puck thanks to a broken Devils stick, passes it up to Hornqvist who snipes an unreal / borderline glitch goal past Schneider and we're tied at three. So Craig Adams decides to take some Craig Adamseque penalty, holding I believe, in which we had all sent in our group text about how useless and bad Adams is. Well, he certainly trolled us with about two minutes and twenty five seconds to go in the second. Adams gets out of the penalty box and Sutter (who since he got his contract has played some unreal hockey) springs Adams with a breakaway pass and Adams beats Schneider to make it 4-3. If I'm DeBoer and the Devils I pull Schneider for giving up a goal to Craig Adams right then and there. 
  

With about a minute left in the second, Despres (hero of the day) holds the puck patiently, throws it on net, Kunitz gets a stick on it somehow and it tips right to Crosby with Schneider laying helplessly on the ice. Goodnight moon. Sidney Crosby. #BestInTheWorld. 5-3 Pens going to the third.


  To start the third Cory Schneider was benched for backup Scott Clemmensen, who I swear only plays for Florida and New Jersey every other year. Anyway, so about 5 minutes into the third, Steve Downie channels his inner Jagr with those mean hands on the right side boards. Downie fires a cross-ice pass to Pascal Dupuis and he buries to make it 6-3 Pens. So it was quiet for a bit until about six minutes to go in the third when Steve Downie got his first goal as a Penguin. Basically Sutter (hero) shot the puck, there was a cluster in front, Comeau touched it, it goes to Downie's stick and he fires it behind Clemmensen to make it 7-3 a powerplay goal. Although it would have been so fitting for Oli Maatta to get a goal after everything we've found out about his tumor and potential cancer, it came for the guy that should never surprise you, #BestInTheWorld Sidney Crosby. Sid basically picks off this puck from Devils irrelevant defenseman Jon Merrill and blasts a slapper home from the top of the circles. GOODNIGHT MOON. 7 UNANSWERED GOALS. ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING. 

 




3rd star: Olli Maatta (1 assist) - For just being an all-around hero -

2nd star: Simon Despres (2 assists) - For trolling the Despres haters -

1st star: Steve Downie (1 goal, 1 assist) -First goal as a Penguin -

proof
Game Notes: 
  • Christian Ehrhoff has now played in 700 NHL games 
  • Penguins powerplay has clicked again going 3/7 (13/32) 40.6% all season
  • Devils have not given up 8 goals since 2006, good lord
  • Penguins outshot New Jersey 33-19, last two periods dominant
  • Despres is quite the hockey player
  • Adams is a troll

-Happy 1989 Day everyone as Taylor Swift's new album is out. Go buy it or download it illegally today! 

-Next game : Stanley Cup Champion L.A. Kings come to town Thursday for Hockey Fights Cancer night, and with the recent events of Olli Maatta, expect emotion. 



Double J Forever

LETS GO PENS. 

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

GAMEDAY - Game 8: Devils at Pens

Consol Energy Center
7 PM
TV: ROOT
Radio: 105.9 The X

The Penguins head home to Consol Energy Center fresh off their best performance of the season Saturday evening in Nashville. New Jersey heads to Pittsburgh for their first meeting of the year and our favorite person ever returns to Pittsburgh. Double J. What a legend. He's still playing a high level at the age of 42. What we would give to #BringDoubleJHome. Devils also have a new look as Marty Brodeur is no longer a Goaltender in New Jersey. Mike Cammaleri won't be playing tonight for New Jersey which is good because he always scores against the Penguins. We're pretty excited for this one as it's Kris Letang Bobblehead night. Also, what a hero Olli Maatta is. If you were in a cave yesterday, Maatta will be having surgery next week on a potential cancerous tumor on his thyroid. He's playing tonight.

Lines (via Daily Faceoff)

Zubrus - Zajac - Jagr
Clowe - Elias - Brunner
Boucher - Henrique - Ryder
Ruutu - Josefson - Gionta

Greene - Severson
Salvador - Zidlicky
Gelinas - Merril

Schneider


Kunitz - Crosby - Hornqvist
Dupuis - Malkin - Comeau
Spaling - Sutter - Downie
Sill - Goc - Adams

Maatta - Letang
Ehrhoff - Martin
Bortuzzo - Scuderi/Despres

Fleury

Game Notes:
  • Jaromir Jagr scored his 125th career Game Winning Goal on Saturday in Ottawa. What a player
  • Robert Bortuzzo might be making his season debut tonight
  • Marc-Andre Fleury coming off his 29th career shutout
  • Devils are boring to watch so this could be a boring game.

Whatever

Do It

Go Pens

#BringDoubleJHome






Saturday, October 25, 2014

GAMEDAY: Game 7 - Pens at Predators

Bridgestone Arena
8 PM
TV: Root
Radio: 105.9 The X

The Pens make their only trip into Nashville to meet Peter Laviolette's Predators. Look forward to a Lavy Timeout sometime during the game. This game marks the first time that James Neal plays the Penguins as well as Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling's return to Nashville. Look for Steiggy to mention that 94328432 times.

Kunitz - Crosby - Hornqvist
Dupuis - Malkin - Comeau
Spaling - Sutter - Downie
Sill - Goc - Adams

Maatta - Letang
Ehrhoff - Martin
Scuderi - Despres

Fleury

Forsberg - Ribeiro - Neal
Wilson - Roy - Smith
Jokinen - Jarnkrok - Beck
Nystrom - Gaustad - Stalberg

Josi - Weber
Volchenkov - Jones
Ekholm - Ellis

Rinne


Do It.

Go Pens.






Friday, October 24, 2014

RECAP. *Checks Calender* Yep. Still October. Pens LOSE

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The Pens made their first visit to the dumpster of Joe Louis Arena last night.  They had a 3-1 lead late in the game and let it slip away, and eventually lost in overtime.  Normally we would go and recap period by period events but we aren't gonna do that this time.  Instead we are gonna take a different route and try to explain to the degenerate in this fan base that are acting like the world is coming to an end.

So before the game ended tweets started appearing like "This team is a joke" and other things along those lines.  Then the Pens lost and it just got worse.  Whether it was on twitter or the special needs people on the Die Hard Pittsburgh Penguins Fans group on facebook, people were losing their damn minds.  And for what?  A random game in Detroit in October?  Get real.  The Penguins have played 6 games.  6.  SIX. 6. SIX.  S. I. X.  You got that?  6 games in an 82 game season.  If you are drawing your conclusion on what the Pens season is gonna look like based on a random game in Detroit in October well:
You're probably gonna be completely wrong in your assumption and you'll wind up looking like a jackass.  To reiterate.  The Pens have played in just SIX games this season.  They have a new coach and a completely different system.  There are going to be some growing pains throughout the season and the Pens may struggle a little bit.  We are here to tell you that its going to be okay. While some of you think the Pens should go 82-0-0 then go 16-0 and win the Stanley Cup well, once again:
This might be hard for some of you to fathom but the Pens aren't gonna go 82-0-0 and 16-0-0 to win the Stanley Cup.  This isn't NHL 15.  You can't quit the game and go back and start over just so you win.  It doesn't work like that believe it or not.  An NHL season is a marathon.  Not a sprint.  That why the cup wasn't handed out last night even though 96% of Pens fans acted like it was.  Games like the one in Detroit last night are good for a team.  Again.  That might be hard for some people in this degenerate fan base to understand.  It's about being ready for April.  Not game 6 out of 82.  No team has ever won the cup without facing a little adversity.  The Pens are going to be just fine.  They may struggle, they may lose a few here and there, they may blow a game or two but again.  It's October.  The Pens still have 76 games in front of them to work things out, grow into and learn the new system, and become a better team.  The world isn't ending folks.  Just sit back, watch the games, and try not to lose your mind over a game in October.

Pens head to Nashville tomorrow night.

Till then.

Go Pens


Thursday, October 23, 2014

GAMEDAY: Game 6 - Pens at Wings

Joe Louis Arena
7:30 PM
TV: Root
Radio: 105.9 The X

The Penguins play tonight in Detroit like 5 minutes after losing to the Flyers last night. This could be a good thing for the Penguins after playing a poor game last night. Thomas Griess will make his Penguins debut tonight in net. Not much really to say about this one but wait for 49329848932 references of the springy boards at the Joe. Datsyuk is back for the Wings and that's probably a good thing because he's good. Yes we just gave another player on another team credit for being good.

Lines (via Daily Faceoff)

Kunitz - Crosby - Hornqvist
Dupuis- Sutter - Malkin
Comeau - Spaling - Downie
Sill - Goc - Adams

Ehrhoff - Martin
Maatta - Letang
Despres - Scuderi

Griess

Datsyuk - Zetterberg - Abdelkader
Nyquist - Sheahan - Tatar
Jurco - Helm - Nestrasil
Miller - Glendening - Andersson

Kronwall - Ericsson
Kindl - Smith
Quincey - DeKeyser

Howard

Game Notes:
  • Thomas Griess went 10-8-5 last year with Arizona with a .920 save percentage and 2.29 GAA.
  • Crosby was held off the scoresheet last night but has scored 4 goals and 4 assists in 9 career games vs Detroit
  • The Penguins went 2-0-1 last year vs Detroit.
Do It

Go Pens






RECAP: Lock Up When You Leave. Pens LOSE.

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3

The Flyers basically own Consol Energy Center. Philly came into Pittsburgh last night and improved their record to 10-1-1 at Consol in the regular season since it opened. The Penguins played their worst game of the season and still had a chance to win. The Penguins did have a pretty amazing moment before the game as the crowd sang along to O Canada to honor our friends in Canada for what happened in Ottawa yesterday.




The Penguins opened up the scoring right after a decent power play. Nick Spaling got on the board for his first as a Penguin. The Penguins then dominated play right after that and the crowd gave them a standing ovation, which is about the only time the crowd was actually into the game. After that, the Flyers had the puck through one towards the net, there were about 9342943 bodies in front of Fleury and the puck snuck through all that and into the net. Mark Streit got credit for the goal. The Flyers kind of carried play after that and eventually someone named Pierre-Edouard Bellemore tipped in a shot from Sean Couterireier (we spell his name wrong because he's really not a good hockey player and we dont really care to spell his name right.) There wasn't much else to happen except Simon Despres hit Courtierie and he pretended he died and then he fought the Pride of Plum, RJ Umberger. Flyers lead 2-1 after 1.

The second period was kind of a dull. The Flyers pretty much dominated the period outshooting the Pens 17-6 but somehow the Penguins got the lone goal. It was credited to Dupuis but this morning they changed it to Paul Martin. The Pens played a bad period but entered the 3rd tied at 2. Chris Kunitz got called for a pretty garbage Embellishment penalty at the end of the 3rd but it's Wes Macauley so we expect nothing else.

The 3rd had a weird feeling to it. Almost 7 minutes into the 3rd, the Penguins misplayed the puck on the wall, someone (I forget who now) went to clear it up the middle, instead semi-whiffed on it, and went right to the Pride of Plum, RJ Umberger, and he sniped it short side on MAF. 3-2. A few minutes later, Malkin didn't back check, Despres turned the puck over, Scuderi whiffed on someone and Matt Read made it look easy on Fleury to make it 4-2. After that, #BeatTheTraffic happened at Consol and the game seemed like it started to die. With about 3 minutes left, the 4th line scored a semi tic-tac-toe goal and Marcel Goc scored his first as a Penguin to cut it to 4-3. Consol was louder after that goal than it was all night even though it was half empty. The Penguins came after the Flyers hard after that but Sean Couteriere scored an empty netter from center ice to seal it. 5-3 Flyers.

1. Sean Couteiriere (1 goal 2 assits)
2. RJ Umberger (1 goal 1 assist)
3. Nick Spaling (1 goal)

No worries after this one, its only game 5.

Pens play again in like 6 minutes.