Recap: Games 54-57

Games: @ WAS (L 3-0),  vs. CBJ (L 4-1 ), vs. LA (W 2-1 OT), @ NYI (L 9-3)

Notable Highlights:

-2 of 8 possible points. Not exactly a highlight, but 1) I don't feel like moving the points from this spot and 2) considering the lineup that's heading out there, any points are a plus.

-F Tim Wallace (6'1", 207 lbs) made the most of his call up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by engaging a much bigger (6-5'', 222 lbs) David Steckel (The Capital that hit Sidney Crosby at the Winter Classic, which may have caused a concussion). Wallace has proven to be unafraid of going up against other team's giants. Last season he fought Boston's Milan Lucic (6'3", 228 lbs).

-Even a person like me has to be impressed with the Kings game win. Inserted in to the lineup were minor leaguers Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Brett Sterling (scored a goal), and Joe Vitale. Combine that with the fact that we've also seen Mark Letestu, Dustin Jeffery, Chris Conner, Tim Wallace, and Eric Tangradi fill spots during the season and the Penguins record is all the more impressive. I'm beginning to be convinced of what I thought all along this season: we aren't going to have the scoring depth to make a deep run. Even though I believe that, I'm fully prepared to cheer on the guys for as long as the run takes us. Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised.

-Congrats to Coach Dan Bylsma. The win against Los Angeles was his 100th NHL win. FSN Pittsburgh also did a nice job of featuring Assistant Coach Tony Granato during that game. He played 6 season for the Kings.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Chris Kunitz's last minute scratch before the Columbus game made an already depleted team look lighter. The forward group was spread thin, as evidenced by all forwards but Eric Tangradi and Eric Goddard having more than 10 mins of ice time.

-The team "toughness" that gets heralded when the team is winning doesn't seem to be doing much for the offense. Fighting majors aren't goals...hockey is still about scoring more than the other team. That is something the Pens are clearly incapable of right now. (I'd actually like to note that I wrote this prior to the Islanders game...which makes it even more prophetic)

-LW Matt Cooke basically made a mockery out of the first two games of this stretch. He took a run at Ovie, could have killed Fedor Tyutin, and received a 4 game suspension for his troubles at a time when the team needs every healthy body possible. Coach Bylsma even defended him on both counts. Is this just a case of finger pointing at mislabelled agitator or a player that deserves every game of his suspenstion? Let's break it down...

Alexander Ovechkin has a reputation for hitting guys dirty. Some would say that he charges on the majority of his hits. He also has been accused of attempting to hurt players via knee on knee contact (see Sergei Gonchar's injury in the last Cup year, or his suspenstion for a similar hit). Some would also say that Ovie probably has brought dirty hits on himself because of this. While I wouldn't disagree with any of that, I would also state that this should have been worthy of a suspension on its own. Just like when we were kids, two wrongs do not make a right. There was clear intent to injure in my opinion. Just because the result wasn't what Cooke desired doesn't make it any less cheap.

Cooke has a clear resume of questionable plays (just google "Matt Cooke cheap shots"). I'm sorry if that offends any Pens fans, but it is what it is. As I've said before, Cooke is veteran, and he knows damn well what he is doing. Look at someone like Boston's Marc Savard. His career now may be over due to one of these questionable hits.

Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau was quoted as follows (from the Washington Post online): "It was Matt Cooke. Need we say more? It's not like it's his first rodeo."

Bylsma (from the same WP online): "I didn't think much contact was made. Maybe their skates get wound up together. Buy you know, Ovechkin was out on the ensuing power play."

Coach Dan Bylsma not only is wrong on that point, but his logic is flawed. For example, if a player took a baseball style swing at someone's head with a stick and didn't connect...would that mean it wasn't dirty? I think not.

 Disco Dan is also wrong about the Tyutin hit, in my opinion. According to prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com he stated, "(Tyutin) makes sure that he keeps his numbers (on the back of the jersey) towards him." The debate over what role a player has in avoiding injury is a long one, and most likely a post of its own (one that I"ll try to take up during the summer). I just think is nothing more than a Coach sticking up for his player, but I consider that a disservice to the league when it's such a questionable group of plays.

Tyutin is entitled to make a play along the back wall in his defensive end to move the puck without potential paralysis. Cooke can still apply pressure without blasting him from behind in to the glass. This was not a situation where the victim turned at the last second to embellish. He was establishing position in case of a scrum at his feet for the puck, and preparing to move the puck.

As I've said a few times this season, Cooke's saving grace is that he is able to chip in goals and kills penalties well. At this point though, is he really any different than Jarkko Ruutu or Sean Avery? I find both of them to be buffoons that find ways to constantly hinder their team due to their reputations and actions. For my money, Cooke deserves every game of this suspension and I hope that there isn't another one.

-As of Friday night about at 7pm, I figured that my detailed piece for this segment would be on the Cooke fiasco(s). I had everything written up for the first three games, and whatever the Islanders game added would be a minor add on. Have you ever heard the bad joke that somebody went to a fight and a hockey game broke out? Well, that's what happened as Reggie Dunlop and the boys from "Slapshot" snuck in to the Islanders dressing room. Now there are 2 "features" for the recap in this segment. I feel pretty passionately about this, so it's going to shoot from the hip. Just my heated opinions.

At any rate, I believe that pregame speech went a little something like this:

Reggie Dunlop: I am personally placing a hundred-dollar bounty on the head of Max Talbot. He's the head coach and chief punk on that Pittsburgh team.

Islanders players in unison: A bounty? Hundred-dollars!? That's more than twice our entire franchise and arena are valued at!

Reggie Dunlop: Yeah, a hundred bucks of my own money for the first guy that really nails that creep.

I'd like to state again, for the millionth time, that I have no problem with fighting in the sport of hockey. It certainly isn't the be all, end all to me...but I think it belongs. With that being said, I feel the need to define that as a clean fight, between two particpants that are willing.

One of the problems with the boxing match between the Islanders and the Penguins was that the referees were clearly unable to handle everything that was going, let alone sort it out. There was too much focus on "evening things up" as opposed to getting the offenders penalized in a way that would keep the game under control. I'm not sure what role any off ice officials have with the on ice crew, but there may need to be consideration for a contingency plan and cooperation from the off ice officials in these rare situations where all hell breaks loose. I find it incredibly hard to believe that there were only two instigator penalties out of 65 penalites (183 PIM for NY, 163 PIM for Pit) and 15 fighting majors. Even crazier is that these occurred for Islanders that fought Deryk Engelland and Eric Goddard. Come on. Those guys are willing combatants. I see plenty of guys on both teams that don't necessarily want to go, but did because of the circumstances. The refs failed by not assessing more instigators.

Another travesty that is sure to come out of this game is the debate of whether or not the NHL should ban fighting altogether. No. NO. NO. NO. Most of the NHLs conduct penalties are not called properly by the officials. If you enforce your rule book, this becomes less of a problem. Plus, don't lose sight of the fact that this is an isolated incident. Rather than restate all the rules, just go here and take a look at 46.4, 46.5, and 46.12. There was a lot of lollygagging when it was time to get off the ice because players knew the on ice officials couldn't get everyone. Also, there was a lot of fighting under 5 minutes left in the game. My hope is that suspension will follow for any player from either time found to have violated these rules.

A lot of people will feel that the Islanders were out of line. If they conducted themselves within the rules, they would not be out of line. I can understand that they want to stick up for their teammates, as they indicated in post-game interviews. There is no real issue with a million fights in a game, if they are done to a player's face and with willing combatants. This isn't football, there is still plenty of room for men to be men. But that's the thing, men don't act like punks and attack players from behind. Unfortunately, Islanders LW Matt Martin didn't believe in fighing like a man. He dropped his gloves and tried to attack/sucker punch C Maxime Talbot from behind. This was an awful moment. No defense for it. Being born in 1989, maybe Martin is too young to remember the Todd Bertuzzi assault of Steve Moore. That assault took place during a hockey game (after Matt Cooke had already fought Moore earlier) and broke Moore's neck. I call it an assault because it was done from behind. The court system in British Columbia also called it an asault, charging Bertuzzi with a crime in June 2004. It was a gutless move that has no place in society, let alone sports. We weren't far from having another giant black eye on the sport, just like the video below.

There were other ugly cheap shots in this game one both sides. RW Eric Goddard elbowed an Islander, which resulted in a concussion from what I've read. D Brooks Orpik took a few liberties with RW Michael Grabner. Believe me just because these are Penguins doesn't mean I consider them immune to punishment. They deserve anything they get.

The ugliest incident of the night came when Isles LW Trevor Gillies delivered a headshot on Eric Tangradi, causing contact with his elbow to the head, and thus the head to the glass. Tangradi was injured and was on the ice for quite some time. In a total classless move, Gillies refused to go to the locker room, instead stood in the runway and taunted an injured Tangradi in one of the more disgusting things I've ever witnessed in this sport. Gillies has played in 47 NHL games, logging 1 game in 2005-06, then returning in 2009-10. In between he spent his time re-uniting with The Village People, resuming his role as "The Biker".

Eric Goddard also left the bench to intervene with the fight between G Brent Johnson and C Michael Haley. I give Johnson credit. He said that he felt responsible for much of went on during this game. It's not required of him to have dropped the gloves there, but surely his thinking was that if went with Haley, the Islanders would have what they truly wanted, a shot at him. Goddard will face a minimum 10 game suspension for his actions. This is wrong according to the rules, and he deserves what he gets here. I won't criticize him though. To expect a guy whose job it is to protect players to sit by during this nonsense is foolish. Goddard felt this was what he needed to do, much like the Isles guys feel that their actions were merely their way of being a good teammate.

I hope that NHL takes strong and decisive action against the cheap shots that went on during this game from both sides. I think If there's anything positive to come out of this, it's the word from TSN's Darren Dregger reported via his Twitter:

"NHL has a lot to digest. "Unacceptable" is how one high ranking official views last night. Fines and suspensions may not be decided on today about 3 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® "

Reggie Dunlop photo courtesy of dryden.eastmanhouse.org

Forward Recaps:

-Evgeni Malkin had knee surgery to repair the damage done to his MCL and ACL. He is expected to be out for 6 months.

-Despite the rumors, there is still no word that Sidney Crosby is done for the season. While the length of this injury has been longer than expected, they team is hoping for a March return for the team's Captain. While Sid himself could not rule out the possibility that he could be done, in his words: "I expect to play".

-Dustin Jeffery joins the list of Penguins players on IR with a "lower body injury". He cannot return until after the Colorado game at the earlierest. No word on the severity of whatever is wrong with him, so that may or may not be an option.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Brooks Orpik let Columbus RW Rick Nash get behind him near the faceoff circle and a split second later the puck was in the net. Nash is simply too good of a sniper to allow him an uncontested one-timer.

-Zbynek Michalek made multiple saves in the crease during the Kings game, which helped the Pens overcome the Kings in a tight game.

-Kris Letang had some bad turnovers at both ends of the ice during the Islanders game. Not to pick on him, because nobody played well, but just merely pointing out that it happens to him as well. Just like Goligoski, he is a young defenseman and is still learing his craft.


Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury had a rough game against Columbus. You could argue that the team also played lousy in front of him, but considering the fact that a lot of media types such as Dan Potash (in an interview on 93.7 The Fan) spent time crowing about Fleury's excellent play since his early season troubles, I'll suggest that this was a game that the team needed Fleury to keep them in. With so much offense out of the lineup, they're going to need a lot of that unless they like the idea of being a 6, 7, or 8 seed in the conference.

-Brent Johnson was very unimpressive against the Islanders, but I give him credit for tossing off the gloves and mask (again) in an attempt to calm the storm of fights that overtook the game.

Opponents:

-Washington

-G Michal Neuvirth stopped all 22 shots he faced for the shutout.

-RW Mike Knuble tallied an empty netter, his 13th of the season. I believe this was the 11th consecutive game against the Penguins in which he has scored a goal.

-LW Brooks Laich's 11th of year served as the game winner.

-Columbus

-RW Rick Nash scored his 24th goal and added an assist.

-LW R.J. Umberger added 2 assists in his first game at the Consol Energy Center. R.J. is a native of Plum and was drafted 16th overall in the 2001 draft by Vancouver.

-Columbus entered the game in 13th place in the Western Conference, yet only 5 points out of the 8th spot (the last playoff spot).

-Los Angeles

-The Kings will spend 10 games on the road in February becuase of the NBA All-Star Game and Grammy Awards.

-D Drew Doughty is a stud on the Kings' blue line. He has it all. Plays good D and can absolutely blow by a guy with skill or speed when he has the puck.

-D Rob Scuderi played in his first game in Pittsburgh since leaving as a free agent after the Stanley Cup win. He must have been chanelling Game 6, because he stopped a Jordan Staal goal at the buzzer. That earned the Kings one point by making it to Overtime.

-New York Islanders

-I rescind any support I've previously offered for this franchise to stay on Long Island or the New York area.

-The Islanders are last in the league attendance wise, averaging 9,893.

-Quebec City and the Provincial Government have agreed to funding on a $400 million arena project. This will be completed for the fall of 2015. The NHL had previously stated that Quebec City had to have a new arena before they would be considered for NHL expansion or relocation.

-Kansas City still has a very new, empty arena. Surely they would throw their hat in to the ring for the Islanders as well.

Recap: Games 51-53

Games: @ NYR (W 4-3),  vs. NYI (W 3-0 ), vs. BUF (W 3-2)

Notable Highlights:

-6 of 6 possible points without Sid and Geno again (mostly). A lot is made by media types and people like me about the Penguins lack of depth and skill on the wings. One thing goes without question: this group knows what it takes to grind out games and get wins. The key thing for the team long-term is for these role guys to continue to step up and take control of games as they have without the stars in the lineup. When they are in the lineup, there is too much of a tendency to watch them work and wait for them to save the day as opposed to taking control themselves.

-The PK unit killed 10 of 11 chances during this stretch. Ryan Callahan's PPG for the Rangers was the first goal given up by the PK in 22 chances.

-Even though it's not from this stretch, D Kris Letang had 2 goals in the All-Star Game. He also has a nickname in case you haven't heard: Cinco Ocho.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-The injury bug continues to rear its ugly head. Sid has now missed 12 games due to his concussion and has returned to his home province of Nova Scotia to work out with his trainer. Evgeni Malkin returned to the lineup against Buffalo and went right back out in the second period after an awkward looking tweek of his leg/knee. An MRI is scheduled to see if anything is wrong. He was not on the ice for practice Saturday (Feb 5). Mark Letestu injured his knee at practice, has had surgery and will miss 4-6 weeks.Lastly, Arron Asham left the Ranger game with what is thought to be a shoulder injury.

EDIT: Coach Bylsma has confirmed that Evgeni tore his MCL and ACL in last night's game. Sorry to hear that. Best of luck in recovery.

-PP was 2 for 13 during this stretch. I'm thinking of just giving this feature a rest until the playoffs. Broken record...

-C Jordan Staal  was kicked out of the Ranger game, after punching LW Brandon Prust. Prust had a fight earlier in the evening, looks to have taken a severe dive on this play. At first glance, it looked like this could be an ugly incident, possibly even the type that the NHL is trying to clamp down on.

When I stop and watch what happens during this sequence, it really makes me sick. Prust elbows Staal in the face as he approachs the scrum. Staal hits hit with a closed left fist with his glove on. The stick was not in the left hand. Prust reacts as if he was shot from a grassy knoll nearby, tumbling to the ice and waiting for the trainer. Jordo is sent to the box, and then sent to the locker room as it is determined that he committed a "match" penalty (intent to injure) and given a game misconduct.

The match penalty aspect is what disgusts me. Jordan Staal committed a penalty, possibly even a double minor worthy penalty if Prust gets 2 mins for roughing at the same time. There was speculation that Jordan received the match penalty because of the brace on his hand. That would be an incorrect assessment because the brace is on his right hand, and as mentioned before he did not use his stick as a brass knuckle type device to strengthen the punch. He also did not strike a player from behind, or blindly from the side. Prust drew the first contact, so I would have to assume that he was expecting a potential strike from Staal

Other have said that this was a blatant cheap shot, and a head shot. This is where I may come off as hypocritical, but I do not believe a punch to someones face a head shot or a cheap shot if delivered properly. If someone disagrees with that, it is time to remove scrums and espeically fighting from the game of hockey (which I do not support). Each fight would allow for a potential "intent to injure" and it would be irresponsible of a league, and us as fans, to support that. I do believe fighting has a place in hockey, though I also believe that it is not as important as many would claim.

On the subject of Prust's actions, I can only express disgust and sadness. Prust really tarnished his reputation with a severe dive and embellishment of a punch to the face. If you don't agree that this was a dive, ask yourself how you react if Sidney Crosby hit the ice in this manner (which you may feel he already has). Chances are if this was Sid, you'd still be talking about it during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Luckily, the league assessed the situation the next day and rescended the automatic 1 game suspension and match penalty from Staal's record. He was able to play against the Islanders and aside from some disgust with officiating, nobody was worse for the wear.

photo courtesy of thepuckdoctors.com

Forward Recaps:

-Eric Goddard was in the lineup for the Ranger and Islanders games, returning from a facial fracture suffered in a fight against Ottawa. He logged 7:07 and 4:24 worth of ice time and was an even rating with 1 shot on goal.

-Dustin Jeffrey scored 2 goals in this stretch (3 in his last 5 games), and had the shootout winner against the Rangers. He figures to stick around for a bit due to the Letestu injury. This could be a defining period for DJ with Sid and Malkin out. Jeffrey has not looked out of place with anyone in the lineup, so seeing top 6 duty could be his chance to show where his long-term future is with this team.

-If you'd never watched a hockey game before the Buffalo game, you'd still come away with a pretty good sense of all things Matt Cooke. He was invloved in a game long battle with D Tyler Myers. There was a pretty long post-whistle match with F Tyler Ennis in which Cooke came away with a cut on his nose and it appeared that he was mouthing the words "you f'n bit me" to Ennis. After all this agitation of the Sabres, he then chipped in a goal...the game winner. The goal was Cooke's 10th of the season.

Defenseman Recaps:

-I've Brooks Orpik delivered a shoulder to head of chief punk on that Rangers team, Sean Avery. This was a moment where I was torn, because I loathe Avery. At the end of the day, I say this was wrong. Even head shots against creeps are not acceptable in the NHL today.

-Zbynek Michalek was initially thought to have his 1st goal as Penguin in the Ranger game, but it was discovered that Chris Kunitz tipped it. Z will have to wait another few days before he scores his first with the team.

-Alex Goligoski had a terrible 1st period against the Sabres. There were multiple defensive zone turnovers, one which lead directly to a goal. I've talked about his upside and this clearly is his downside.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury had 2 wins during this stretch. The Buffalo game started off rough, but the team bailed him out. He had 26 saves and a strong shootout performance in the Ranger win. He also mopped up the final 16 seconds of the Islander game.

-Brent Johnson was about to have a shutout against the Islanders, but he took exception to Rick DiPietro clotheslining F Matt Cooke and the other end. You likely know what happened, but in case you have been comatose for the past week, Johnny skated on down and engaged DiPi in a fight. A one punch fight. A one punch fight that ended up causing facial fractures and knee swelling in the oft-inured DiPietro, who will miss 4-6 weeks. As long as BJ doesn't do anything that directly costs the Penguins a Championship, his legacy in the city of Pittsburgh will be forever cemented: the badass goalie that turned the end of an unevenful game on a cold, windy night in February in to something that anyone that watched it will always remember. Nice work Johnny!

Opponents:

-New York Rangers

-C Artem Anisimov scored his 11th goal of the season by batting a puck out of mid-air a la a baseball player.

-Aside from scoring a 9.0 in the diving competition of the evening, Prust had a fight and a nice goal, his 8th of the season. That's what makes the dive all the more disturbing to me, there is no need for him to tarnish himself like that. He seems like a decent player that can handle him. Very puzzling.

-American born Ryan Callahan scored his 11th of the season.

-New York Islanders

-G Rick DiPietro has got to be disappointed in himself and frustrated. It's one thing to lose a fight, that happens. It's a completely separate issue for a goalie that has missed countless games since signing a giant contract to be injured in a fight. One also wonders what role his little post-shootout celebration in December played in this.

-C Zenon Konopka fought again. This time we went with F Mike Rupp.
-Buffalo

-C Paul Gaustad scored his 6th goal of the season just 0:17 in to the 1st period.

-RW Mike Grier scored his 3rd goal of the season.

-D Mike Weber is from Cranberry Township. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft.

Recap: Games 47-50

Games: vs. DET (W 4-1),  @ NJ (L 2-0 ), vs. CAR (W 3-2), NYI (W 1-0)

Notable Highlights:

-6 of 8 possible points without Sid and Geno. This helps keep the team afloat in troubled waters, but don't kid yourself...the season and its success or failure still hinge largely on Crosby and Malkin. Without them, the team simply lacks offensive punch, creativity, and excitement.

-Jordan Staal, Matt Cooke, and Tyler Kennedy have re-united as a line. They have been very effective as a unit. The problem is that without separate lines for Crosby and Malkin in conjunction with them, it lacks the dramatic ability to turn the course of games. It's just a good checking/energy line without them.

-Even if the Red Wings were depleted by injury, it's still very satisfying to beat them.

-The PK unit killed 16 of 16 chances during this stretch. It seems likely that at least one of the games was saved by this given the tendency to take penalty after penalty by the team.

-After the first period of the Devils game, the team forwards made a noticable effort to activate an agressive forecheck, getting in the face of and hitting Devils' dmen in their zone. This was most noticable against D Anton Volchenkov. The Pens have had similar success in the playoffs employing this technique. The theory is this aggressive forecheck will wear the dmen down, force turnovers, and generate pressure. Not in the cards on this night though.

-If I may (and I may), I'd like to be self serving again for a minute. Welcome to readers/visitors around the world! I'm seeing people from Denmark, Hungary, New Zealand, Austrailia, Indonesia, Finland, and Sweden. If any of you would like to have your story told here, email us! If not, I'm very curious what you think of the blog. While I have a somewhat narrow focus in topics, I am an avid fan of the sport around the globe. Hopefully, you enjoy it.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Trap, trap, trap...I am sick of the damn trap! New Jersey stymied the Pens with their version. While the Red Wings trap was soft in the middle without their starters, this was easily the worst game in terms of tempo that I have ever been in the building for. Whistle after whilfe. I understand why teams run the trap, but it seems as entertaining to me as restrictor plate racing does to you NASCAR fans. Hockey can be as simple as shampooing at its most basic. Skate...score or miss...skate back on defense...repeat as necesary until desired result is acheived. Turn the guys loose! Too much clogging up the neutral zone creeping back in to the  game in my opinion.

-Even though it was very brief, the New Jersey game brought another 5-on-3 shorthanded situation. Last I heard, the Penguins were the most penalized team in the NHL (minors only).

-Hockey players are just like you...a cold seems to have been making its way through the team, forcing players to miss practice here and there.

-Another 3rd period defensive letdown by the guys in the Carolina game. 2 goals let up under 5 minutes left turned a 3-0 breeze in to a 3-2 nail biter. This keeps rearing its ugly head. This lack of focus will be costly in the playoffs if it continues. Don't doubt that for a second.

Forward Recaps:

-The Wilkes Barre-Scranton connections continue to make an impact for the team. Chris Conner scored the team's first penalty shot in 4 years, Mark Letestu inked a 2 year contract extenstion, and Dustin Jeffrey keeps going up and down between the farm club and Pittsburgh, chipping in goals while here, then going back to WBS and lead the Baby Penguins in scoring.

-Speaking of Dustin Jeffery, he had both a highlight and lowlight in the Islanders game. Lowlight was that he tried to skate from behind his net with the puck and go straight up the middle with it. This isn't the AHL, and he was stripped of the puck by the blue line. Next time, he'll remember to use the wall and support players. On the positive side, he won the faceoff that lead to Craig Adams' game winning goal. Good work also getting around the net to cause traffic and confusion.

-Evgeni Malkin will miss the All Star Game due to a nagging knee injury and a sinus infection.

-Sidney Crosby has missed 9 games due to his concussion adn will not attend the All Star Game. Concussions continue to be a hot topic throughout the league. Unfortunately, Boston F Marc Savard has been ruled out indefinately due to another concussion. If you recall, last time I mentioned a hit that D Deryk Engelland put on Savard. It was clean, but made contact with the head. Nights later, Savard was hit in a similar fasion and was face down for a time. He missed a ton of games due to concussion suffered from the Matt Cooke hit, including 23 at the start of this season due to recurring symptoms. Sid has been progressing, but he still hasn't been cleared to work out, let alone consider playing even in a limited role.

For my money, tonight's State of the Union is a colossal waste of time. Now if you want to talk about stuff that matters, let's chat concussions. NHL players seem to miss a lot more time than NFL players because of these injuries, despite both league's lip service regarding the desire to reduce/eliminate these from the game. Why though? NHL players aren't less "tough" than NFL players. It boils down to the basics. Here are my opinions:

First, is the speed of the game. An NHL player can skate between 25 and 30 MPH, with some even fast than that. NFL players run between 18 and 21 MPH, 22 tops. That may not seem like a lot, but the amateur physicist in me says that those extra MPH pack quite the punch over space.

Secondly, NHL helmet quality doesn't get much publicity. Meanwhile, the NFL version are constantly being tweaked and evaluated. Have been for some time now. Only recently has this become an issue in hockey.  It took one of the sports legends to get it on the radar as well. Hall of Famer Mark Messier has made this a priority, launching The Messier Project (themessierproject.com, see "The Epidemic" portion for good reading) line of helmets, research, and awareness.

Next, there are also areas where the NFL and NHL are similar in regards to concussions. Both leagues have recently adopted new rules, and tweaked existing ones to attempt to combat the problem. These initiatives have also been gigantic failures thus far in large part because of inconsistent officiating during the act and discipline after the fact.

The sports again hit a fork in the road regarding the way that concussions happen. The majority of concussions (that are diagnosed and noticed) are the result of violent collisions in both sport, most often to defenseless players. The problem is that football players also often endure small, head to head hits on nearly every play of the game.

Old school thinkers in both sports also say that this is a "part of the game" based on the fact that these are both contact sports and if you have a player launching himself at a player or a skater with his head down, sometimes guys are going to get hurt. It's a sensitive topic to be sure. Nobody wants to take the violence out of these games. Franky, that is why these two leagues are special. It's unfathomable what these guys put their bodies through.

I believe the main difference between the sports is the the way the leagues are taclking the issue moving forward. There is talk in the NHL of banning hits to the head altogether. Period. No exceptions. Not for guys with their head down, not for any reason. The NFL has target hits to the head of Quarterbacks and Receivers. Where they expose their lack of concern for player saftey is to Running Backs and Lineman. Running Backs are often targeted by blatant head shots and all players continually engage in the small, repeadted hits. One needs to look no farther than the study of the late Chris Henry (Cincinnati Bengals). He died at the age of 26 (not due to football) and his brain was the subject of medical study (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/29/sports/football/29henry.html). This study revealed that Henry had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which the article above says is caused exclusively by brain trauma and appears to affect everything from personality to decision making, to the ability to function. The scariest part of this is that he never was diagnosed with a concussion in his NFL career.

 Hopefully in the next few seasons, the NHL eliminates the head shot from the game. They should learn for the mistakes that the NFL continues to make on the issue, as future studies will likely prove that it isn't just the big shots, but all hits to the head that can cause irreparable damage to players and their quality of life post-sports.

-PP was 1 for 9 during this stretch. There was a time where the Power Play was showing signs of life this season. At this point, it's just disgraceful that it cannot be executed better even if Malkin and Crosby aren't in the lineup.

Defenseman Recaps:

-I've noticed Paul Martin blocking shots. That really isn't the role he is in per se, but you love to see the dedication. Martin still seems a bit out of place overall, but he continues to just quitely go about his minutes and, to his credit, he doesn't cost the team very much in their own end.
-Zbynek Michalek seems to have a bit of the turnover bug in the D zone. Luckily these haven't ended up in the net, but it's definitely out of character for the solid defensive defenseman.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury was 3-0 during this stretch. He had two good games (Wings and Isles) and I'd chalk the Canes game up as bad despite the loss due to the focus lapses we've talked about time and time again both in him and the team. After the win against the Hurricanes, Fleury came out in a Steeler helmet. He also did this prior to the last AFC Championship (and eventual Super Bowl Win) appearance by the Steelers. The shutout against the Isles was the 18th of his career.

 photo courtesy of @pghpenguins

-Brent Johnson took the loss in the Devil game. Tough to win if your team does not score goals.

Opponents:


-Detroit

-Don't be fooled by the uniform, the Red Wings were missing about 7 of their lineup regulars. Injuries have been very unkind to the Wings. I'm sure Pens fans everywhere are weaping for them.

-I try to find something postive to say about all of the opponets, but I find myself still not liking the Red Wings players or their system of play. I'll force myself to say that this may be the last time I see D Nicklas Lidstrom in person, and I will be sad to see him retire at some point.

-New Jersey


-G Martin Brodeur shut out the Penguins for the 8th time in his career. He is the NHL's All-Time Leader in Shutouts with 114. I have to say, in recent years I've said that Former Canadiens and Avalanche G Patrick Roy was and always will be the king, but my thoughts on the stats of the Crosby vs. Lemieux vs. Gretzky debate earlier in the season softened my stance a bit. I still prefer Roy, but Brodeur belongs in the conversation a lot more than I previously would have liked to admit.

-While some accused Brodeur of embellishing contact from F Maxime Talbot, take note of the fact that it directly lead to Vladimir Zharkov carelessly crashing in to G Brent Johnson. Even if contact with Marty was light, the Devils showed that they would respond in kind.

-The Devils have been successful since the switch to Coach Jacques Lemaire, which has started to get thoe nose up on a disasterious season. To reach the 92 point mark (roughly what you'd need to qualify for the playoffs) they only have about 6 losses left in them the rest of the way. A tall order, and likely, too tall of an order for this group.


-Carolina

-Eric Staal will serve as a Captain in the new "pick up" style All-Star Format. He scored his 23rd goal of the season in the game.

-Former Penguins F Ron Francis and G Tom Barrasso were behind the bench as special assistants to Coach Paul Maurice. Francis is the Canes Associate Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel. Barrasso is in charge of Goaltender Development for the organization.


-New York Islanders

-C Zenon Konopka leads the NHL in fighting majors. He went with Arron Asham in the 1st period.

-D Dylan Reese is a Pittsburgh product. He was undrafted and has played in 36 career games. Dylan attended Upper St. Clair High School.

Recap: Games 37-39

Games: vs. OTT (L 3-1),  vs. ATL (W 6-3), @ NYI (L 2-1 SO)

Notable Highlights:

-Congrats to Sid on a great streak. It sure was fun to watch and very exciting. Maybe he can start a new one.

-3 out of 6 points is not a failure by any means. To qualify for the playoffs you need to be around the 90 point mark, which is a little more than a point a game. When you struggle in a strectch and still even a point a game, you take it.

-PK had a good game against Atlanta, killing 7 of 8 chances and some more 3-on-5s.

-Tyler Kennedy, Mark Letestu, and Chris Conner form the "Buzz Line" as the Penguins 3rd line. They are playing really well. Conner had a goal in the Isles game, and Letestu had a very nice effort to put one in against the Thrashers. These guys are proof that if you play your game within a defined role consistently, success will follow.

-I want to take a second to too my own horn while sending a thank you over to The Pensblog. We are on the map, and I'm certain it is in large part thanks to their mention of us. I'll share some stats with you

-As of this very moment, 1,507 page views all time since we started a few months ago. That's about 1,500 more than I expected so maybe we aren't a wildly unpopular blog anymore. I'll just concede that while I'm personally wildly unpopular, my blog has vastly exceeded my expectations for it. For that I thank anyone that ever read this page. I'm no expert, and often I'm wrong or knee-jerk, but it's all because I dearly love this sport and have so since I was introduced to it. That's why I'm a damn good fan and a so-so blogger.

-The vast majory of views come from the United States, and there are some Canadians lurking out there as the 2nd leading nation of readers. The rest of these nations, in order, provide a handful of clicks: Brazil (!!?), Russia (Go Malkin!), Taiwan (!!?), Denmark, Slovenia (go Kopitar!), Germany (love ya Deutschland!, go Hecht!), The UK (welcome), and South Korea (Jim Paek scored the last goal for the Penguins first Cup Clinching game!!)

-For any of the international readers, I'd love to find out more about you via the "contact us" email at the top of the page. I have a special interest in non-expatriate Americans, any Russian with access to KHL news and the ability to communicate in English somewhat (I only speak English and I can barely do it so don't worry), and anyone that has information about local leagues or teams in your country. Hockey is an international game, tell us your story so I can share it with everyone!

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Poor, poor effort is about the only way you can describe the Ottawa game. I've heard people blame it on the Christmas break, but Ottawa was off too and they were fired up for this game.

-Felt like the 1st period of the Atlanta game was extremely entertaining. As fun as that was, the Islanders game was just brutal to watch. Not taking the win away, but the trap is so boring and the polar opposite of entertainment.

-The team continues to show questionable discipline by taking too many penalties. Ottawa converted 2 of 4 power play chances. If you're going to play sloppy and take scores of pentalites, you need the PK to bail you out.

Forward Recaps:

-Matt Cooke continues to take penalty after penalty. Bob Grove of the Penguins Postgame show (105.9 The X) said that he has (trying to remember because I was driving, so if slightly inaccurate I apologize) 14 minor penalties in his past 11 games. Are some of these because of his reputation? You bet it is. But he has to watch himself. In a perfect world, you'd sit a guy down for taking so many penalties just to get his attention. The problem is Cooke is an integral part of penalty kill, and has done a good job at the offesnsive end of the ice too. Guess we just have to hope that Matt does everything he can to reduce penalties, but not change his effectiveness.

-Evgeni Malkin is a -1 and is the only player on the current roster that is a minus. Plus/minus is not a stat that many, including myself, relying heavily on because it can be misleading at times. But in this case, it reflects the struggles of the center...err...winger....err center. I will disclose that am a giant Malkin fan before I say this, because I'm not making excuses for him. Part of me does wonder if he is having trouble adjusting to playing and more importantly practicing primarily in English. In the past he had Ottawa's D Sergei Gonchar and New York Rangers F Ruslan Fedotenko to speak to in Russian. Perhaps this is more difficult for him than anyone is talking about. That being said, it doesn't matter at the end of the day. He is the highest paid player along with Crosby. As I've said before, because of that he has to produce more often than not. Sadly, right now it does't seem that that is happening again.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Alex Goligoski got absolutely torched by Thrashers D Dustin Byfuglien for a shot on goal. Bufugien had one hand on the stick and used the other hand to just toss the Dman aside. No shame in that for Gogo though, all part of the learning process. Even Hall of Fame defensemen have been made to look silly. Former Bruin Ray Bourque had Mario Lemieux hide the puck at his own feet one time in the Wales Conference Finals. It happens.

-Brooks Orpik looked a little off against the Thrashers as well. This could be because of their forwards group. I think this is only the second time I mentioned Brooksie in this segment this season, and both have been negative. I'm sorry about that, I promise I will find some positive about this extremely valuable Penguin the next time I mention him.

-Kris Letang injured Ottawa F Jason Spezza with a hit from behind. I don't believe there was malice on Tang's part, but the fact is Spezza was hurt by a run from behind. I wish the league would focus on these hits as much as they do the blows to the head. If anyone remembers collegiate player Travis Roy, who was paralyzed in such a hit, you are like me....astonished this has never happened to the pros. I don't want to to see it ever happen to anyone at any level of play. Hitting from behind along the wall and te players that quickly turn to force such hits should be more of a focus for both penalties and discipline.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury had a so-so stretch. I don't blame him for either of the losses. I thought he wasn't particularly sharp against Atlanta, but the offense had his back that night.

-Brent Johnson returned to practice and the bench for the Islanders game.

-John Curry did not see any action during his call-up, despite what seemed like a perfect chance on Long Island for the Islanders game. This is very telling in regards to how the front office views him. It seems that any chance of Curry being viewed seriously as a potential backup had its final nail entered (the first million was the contract extention Brent Johnson signed).


Opponents:


-Ottawa

-F Jason Spezza had 2 assists before he was injured.

-D Erik Karlsson had 2 goals for the Sens. Looks like this former 1st round pick has quite the upside.

-I don't get to watch many Sens games, but I have to imagine this was one of their more spirited efforts of the season. They looked sharp and fiesty.

-Atlanta

-They have some very talented players in F Evander Kane and D Dustin Byfuglien. Byfuglien is leading the league in scoring for a defenseman.

-I've been critical of the lack of support for the team in Atlanta. I will concede that a good playoff run for this group could plant the seeds needed to have there be actual support from the fans. This isn't something I would bet on, but I wish them the best. Years back I faced the horror of the possibility of my team moving, so for any true fans there my heart goes out.

-New York Islanders

-A lot was made of G Rick DiPietro leaping in to teammates arms after the shootout victory. Many felt it was unnecessary or silly considering the Isles record. That's exactly why I don't have a problem with it. This team is struggling in attendance, in record, in the attempt for a new arena...give them something. DiPi even had to feel good on a personal level. In 2006, he signed a giant $67.5 million contract that spanned over 15 years. He has been chronically injured, and any momentum for him and his team is a starting point.

-I am not in favor of the Islanders moving, but if their situation isn't clarified it is a real possiblitiy. A faction of fan from Quebec (about 22 busloads) attended a game a few weeks back to show their support for the franchise as that city attempts to bring the Nordiques back. I hope hockey finds itself in both Quebec City and Long Island. Both cities have great traditions and a place in the history of hockey.

Milestone: Retirement

On December 6, 2010 F Bill Guerin announced his retirement as a player. In his 1,200+ regular season and 133 playoff NHL games, Bill skated for the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Dallas Stars, St. Louis Blus, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He was a four-time All-Star, including MVP of the 2001 contest, and is a member of the 400 goal club. He played in three Olympics for the United States of America (1998, 2002, 2006) and raised the Stanley Cup twice, once with the New Jersey Devils after the 1994-95 lockout season and once with the Pittsburgh Penguins after the 2008-09 season. Congratulations to Bill on a great career in hockey.

2010-11 Preview: New York Islanders

2010-11 Prediction 15th Eastern Conference

Things for the hockey squad on Long Island have looked bleak for a while now, and unfortunately that looks likely to continue both off and on the ice this season. Their dismal record aside, the Islanders face major hurdles in their continued effort to finance a new Arena. The good news for Isles have been the talks involving a potential move to Queens or a casino backed arena proposal in the Long Island area. If any of the New York based possiblities do not pan out, Kansas City and its Sprint Center seem eager to land a team either in the NHL or NBA. The Isles continue to hope for G Rick DiPietro to have a healthy season. Reports have already surfaced that DiPietro may be starting the season injured, which doesn't point to a positive outcome for this season. D Mark Streit is joined on the blue line by free agent Mark Eaton. Up front, Kyle Okposo, Matt Moulson, and John Tavares are the focal points of the offense. Tavares is a former #1 overall pick, and while he struggled at times in his rookie season, many think he could be this year's Steven Stamkos (a player that had an incredible second season). Aside from this, it will be a long winter for fans of a former NHL giant.

Player to Watch: C John Tavares