We will discuss all things hockey. While this will be Pens-centric, the rest of the league is still of interest to us. We are in no way, shape, or form affiliated with, endorsed by, or cared about, by the Pittsburgh Penguins, the NHL, or anyone else worth their salt.
-James Neal scored 4 goals during this stretch. While they all were not highlight reel goals, he is doing a great job of getting the puck at the net and not overthinking it. His "garbage" goals seem to come with Malkin out of the lineup, but that is exactly what the Penguins need when he is out of the lineup.
-Evgeni Malkin played against the Washington Capitals, adding two assists. From what has been described, he is experiencing some pain from scar tissue in his surgically repaired knee. Some were amazed that he was able to play through that, but his heartfelt concern and sympathy for the victims of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl plane crash carried him through it. He was not going to miss the night where the focus was on that tragedy's victims and families.
-Arron Asham brought the early part of the season to life with his devastating knockout of Jay Beagle in the Capitals game. As he skated away he made a few gestures which he later described as "classless". The opponents of fighting in hockey have used this a chance to whine about children watching the game having to see such a thing, the fact that it was a "headshot", and anything else possible to compare hockey to Roman gladiators.
Respectfully, I tell these people to watch another sport. Please leave our sport alone. Seriously. If you are concerned about someone getting knocked out by a non-cheap shot then go watch a safe, civil sport like football where there is not any violence and the players are all upstanding citizens.
Fighting has a place in hockey, and hopefully it always will. Asham did not sucker punch Beagle. Until he was knocked out, Asham did not do anything wrong. He was standing up for his teammate, Kris Letang. The offer was put out for a fight and both parties willingly particpated. Beagle does not deserve any ridicule for his part in it, anyone can get tagged with a shot like that. Asham was sincere in his regret over mocking a fallen combatant. That is where it should end. Sometimes people make mistakes in judgment. Most of the people that are critical of Asham fail to mention how when he saw that Beagle was dropping to the ice he stopped from throwing a third right that undoubtedly would have done more damage.
The "holier than thou" attitude of commentators and members of the Capitals, especially Alexander Ovechkin, is what is uncalled for. Hockey has an always been a sport of honor. There have been countless acts that give the sport a bad image when it goes outside of that honor, but this incident was not one of them. Perhaps the WNBA is more your style if you can't handle some good old fashioned agression.
-Richard Park scored his 1st goal in the home opener against the Panthers, a shorthnaded goal. Oddly enough, in his first home opener for the Pens (Park played here to start his career) he had a shorthanded goal.
-Pascal Dupuis scored his 1st goal of the season against the Panthers. While not showing up in the goal column, he was played well.
-Same thing for Chris Kunitz, who still does not have a goal but has added a 2 year contract extension. His cap hit does not change, so you have to like this deal for both the player and team.
Defensemen:
-Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek looked uncharacteristically bad against the Panthers. Too much flopping and allowing the puck by or behind them.
-Still no word on when Brooks Orpik will return to the lineup. While there's no reason to rush him, you do worry that he may struggle to return to his usual self.
Goalies:
-Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves against the Panters and 25 against the Sabres. He missed the Capitals game because of the flu and most likely was still bothered by it on some level against the Sabres. He did not have any noticable gaffes in goal. There was a save he made prior to the Gerbe goal that was very nice, but his momentum took him out of position for the follow up. Nothing he could do about that. At the end of the Florida game, with a 2 goal lead, he resumed his quest for a goal with the Panthers net vactated. Deryk Engelland got in the way so the puck was quickly turned over, but MAF made a nice save on the shot.
-Brent Johnson did not look particularly sharp against the Caps. He made 16 saves
Ups:
-Matt Cooke continues to keep himself out of trouble on the ice. He also knocked in his 3rd goal of the season. Cooke appears to be well aware of keeping his elbows down and when to let up on a guy (as he's turning near the boards or too close to the boards). Hopefully he is able to continue this.
-Penguins achieved 3 of a possible 6 points during this stretch. If you checked in on this blog at all last year, you know that I will always tout that as a success. Getting 1 point a game in your tough stretches is much better than getting none.
Downs:
-The PP failed at the end of the Sabres game in situational hockey. I beleive in winning situations much more than straight percentages. The Pens had a chance to tie with a PP and a faceoff in the Sabres zone with 21 seconds left. Jordan Staal lost the faceoff, then the puck was cleared and that was that for their chance to salvage a point.
-Many outlets are critical of the play of Mark Letestu, pointing out there when Malkin has been out, he starts on the top line. By the end of the game he is playing with the 4th liners, which is an indication that Dan Bylsma and Tony Granato are not seeing what they want from the 2nd year player.
Florida
Jose Theodore (AP)
-Marcel Goc and Tomas Fleischmann both scored their 1st goals of the season.
-Jose Theodore made 25 saves.
Washington
Alexander Ovechkin (AP)
-Alexander Ovechkin scored his 1st goal of the season. Recently he was called out by Coach Bruce Boudreau for his slow start to the season.
-Dennis Wideman scored the GWG on the PP in OT for the Caps. It was his 2nd of the season.
-Tomas Vokoun had a tough to start to the season, but this game settled him in to a groove it seems. He stopped 39 shots.
-Mike Knuble scored his 1st goal of the season. Without checking I blelieve this is at least the 7th straight game against the Penguins that he has scored a goal. Luckily, the 39 year old won't have too many more years left in the league to haunt us.
Buffalo
Jhonas Enroth (AP)
-Drew Stafford had a very nice shot for his 3rd goal of the season.
-Nathan Gerbe had a goal (1) and a very nice assist on the Stafford goal.
-Jhonas Enroth got the start in place of Ryan Miller, who usually has a tough go in Pittsburgh. Enroth made 29 saves.
Games: @ NYR (L 5-3), @ COL (W 3-2 OT), @ CHI (L 3-2 SO), vs. WAS (L 1-0)
Notable Highlights:
-3 of 8 possible points. Each point takes on a greater importance with the injury situation. Depending on how thing's shake out at the trade deadline, we could be hanging on for dear life the rest of the way. Being able to keep a sniff of the home ice advantage, and hopefully securing it, is a nice goal to shoot for.
-As I've been saying since the inception of the blog, the Penguins figure to move one of their defenseman this season in attempt to land a top 6 winger. D Alex Goligoski was traded February 21st to the Dallas Stars. In return, the Penguins get LW James Neal (pictured above) and D Matt Niskanen. Neal provides a scoring touch, netting 21 goals this season. Niskanen is a former 1st round pick of the Stars. He hasn't had a very strong season, but he will likely be in the mix for the #6 D spot on the team if he is not moved again prior to the trade deadline. Both guys have 1 year on their contracts past this season. Welcome to Pittsburgh, guys. Also, I would like to thank Gogo for his time here and his contributions to the team. Best of luck in Dallas!
-LW Brett Sterling has 3 goals in his time up this season, including 2 in this stretch. He may be earning himself a shot in the NHL for a longer look. If not here, somewhere. He had a 5 game scoring streak snapped against Washington.
-Even Tyler Kennedy has been playing what many consider to be his best hockey ever. He's making the most of the ample oppurtunity for ice time. He's also seeing time on the Power Play, scoring the game winner in OT in Denver. In Chicago, there was a chance for a second consectutive gamer winner on the PP in OT, but it just sailed past the net. This stretch for Kennedy may be saving him in the eyes of management for the future. Surely they are keeping a close watch on who has stepped up in the absence of so many of the team's top forwards.
-C Jordan Staal played a very strong game against the Avs. His 6th goal of the season answered an Avs score right away. Staal typically just plays his game and doesn't let the circumstances or surroundings affect him. In the Chicago game, he put on his power forward hat and drove the net, causing space for a Brett Sterling goal. That is why Jordo succeeds. He keeps it simple and within his means.
-Make sure you are sitting down as you read this next sentence. I commend the Power Play of their performance in the Colorado game. Yes, you read that correctly. I've spent a lot of time earlier in the season discussing how timely goals are just as, if not more important than, a high conversion percentage. The extra point was on the line in OT and the PP Unit converted.
-The Penguins forwards controlled the tempo and pace for most of the Capitals game. Unfortunately there just wasn't enough punch to get a lead at any point.
Ghastly Lowlights:
-C Jordan Staal did not return to the bench after being struck by a Kris Letang slap shot. It appear to catch him in the neck area, so both his collarbone or jaw could be concerns. Hopefully he is alright.
-The Ranger game was pretty ugly for the team performance wise. In fact, this whole trip to New York City didn't go so well. There was the joke of a game on Long Island, of course. When the team went to practice outdoors at Central Park, the bus was in a traffic accident. Then there was the performance in this game. A forgettable trip to the Big Apple, to say the least.
-If something goes wrong in the defensive end, I'm not always able to fully identify who is at fault. One thing is for certain, lately there have been many lapses in judgment in the Pens D zone. There's been a lot patting the organization patting itself on the back because they force the minor league team to play the same system/strategy as the NHL club. Again, I can't be 100% of the cause, but there seem to be examples of any reason you can think of from the Rangers game.
Pascal Dupuis was forced to take a faceoff to the left of Marc-Andre Fleury. The Rangers won the draw back to the line, and each forward went out. This left Vinny Prospal open at the side of the net, where he cashed in on his 2nd of the year. It's very possible that guys are having trouble knowing where to be with so many different guys around.
There also may be the possibility that the Penguins just can't keep up currently. Theer are so many AHL players in the lineup that it seems likely that at certain times, we are just going to get outgunned.
Wearing the guys so think also seemed to affect the PK in the Rangers game. D Paul Martin failed to move a guy out from in front of the next...next thing you know Ryan Callahan has his 14th of the season.
On Artem Anisimov's 12the goal of the season, he was allowed to float right on down the slot as if he he were one of the cabs taking players to practice.
The Avs 2nd goal was a disgrace from a defensive standpoint. If you watch the ice level replay, D Cameron Gaunce
Even when the team has been in games such as the Avs and Hawks games, there have been many instances of wide open play
-C Maxime Talbot maybe be seeing his final games in a Penguins uniform. It seems absolutely certain he will not be re-signed. You typically don't look for Talbo to be a big numbers guy, but you'd like for him to step up and chip some in with the situation currently. AHLers are scoring more consistently than Max. That is a problem since Talbot has shown flashes of offensive ability.
-Hall of Fame Co-Owner Mario Lemieux relased a statement regarding the Islanders game. It can be viewed here. While I do not want to spend much time going over this in detail, there are two items I would like to cite as lowlights.
First, I don't think I've criticized Mr. Lemieux more than twice in my entire life, so this is foreign territory to me. I'll just disclose that I've always considered him my favorite player, and something more than that. In my youth, he was able to do something that my other sports heroes were not...win. The Steelers and Pirates of the time (and for many, many years to come) did not and could not win when it counted most. When the Pens lifted the Cup that first time, it was the best feeling in the world for me. I certainly could not consider myself a popular kid, but in the Penguins and avid fandom of hockey I had an identity. Them winning, meant that by extension, I could soak in some of that glow. So having said that, please know that aside from treason, I don't think I have it in me to be highly critical of Lemieux.
At any rate, I cannot take issue with anything that Lemieux said. He is, at worst, the 3rd best player ever to play the sport. He he taken training a bit more seriously and not be sidelined with such grave injuries, perhaps the NHL record books would take on a different shape today. Even without that though, Lemieux is allowed to speak out on whatever he likes or dislikes about the sport. He is even allowed to threaten to take his ball and go home, as some has suggested he did with this statement. I believe that his main flaw is in his lack of action. Lemieux, by most accounts, has maintained a lassiez faire attitude towards his involvement in attending and influencing NHL rules and policy. This is a grave mistake. Lemieux can be extremely influential here. Just because you are "hands on" doesn't mean you are automatically a jackass like Mark Cuban. I would strongly urge Lemieux to reconsider his role in policy development. Not because he owes it to me, or any of you reading this, but because he owes it to the sport he loves.
Secondly, I would take great umbrage with those in the media that have made this about the Penguins team having the most fighting majors and employing Matt Cooke. I would especially like to chastize the Canadian medie for their reaction to this. For you guys and gals to lose sight of the cheap ugliness that went on during the Islanders game as the main issue of contention is disappointing. Americans are supposed to not "get it" when it comes to hockey. What is your excuse? You know damn well this isn't about fighting. Do you really want to watch a sideshow at the NHL level? Really? I find both the notion and the media response to this both quite hard to believe and stomach.
Forward Recaps:
-Matt Cooke returned from his 4 game suspension against the Blackhawks and chipped in a goal. He played a decent game with 20:22 TOI and manged to keep himself out of trouble. Many will be watching Cooke's conduct very closely the rest of the way, including the league and referees. Make no mistake though, Cooke can play the game without resorting to cheap shots. A great example is him drawing a penalty on RW Marian Hossa in the closing 35 seconds of the 3rd period. Hossa got the call because he used his stick to the body as a means of battling for a puck. Cooke kept his skates moving even as he slipped to the ice. Good hard work there by Cookie. Here's to hoping that he keeps his nose clean from here on out.
-Congrats to St. Louis, MO born Joe Vitale for scoring his 1st NHL goal against the Avalanche.
-LW Pascal Dupuis has also gone missing. He has 10 goals on the seasons, which actually seems about right for him relative to his talent level and lack of hands. Unfortunately for the team, they have had to rely on Dupuis as a top line player. Even when guys are healthy, this is sketchy. Dupuis is best suited for a 3rd line type role. In case you think I'm just beating up on the guy, I really do like what he brings to the team. It just ends up being miscast due to the lack of depth of skill guys at forward.
Defenseman Recaps:
-Brooks Orpik defened a 3-on-1 against the Rangers about as well as could ever be expected. He kept the puck and the pressure to the outside, which allowed for an easy save.
-Kris Letang had a missed pinch at the Offensive end during the Ranger game. A 2-on-1 came back the other way, and Pascal Dupuis was forced to take a penalty. I'm not sure if the team is looking to have the Dmen be so agressive currently, though it may be the only hope of generating a capable offense with the injured players out of the lineup.
-Ben Lovejoy was in the lineup against the Capitals. He did well defensively but looked a little out of rhythm on offense. Perhaps a result of sitting for so many games.
-Brian Strait was called up from Wilkes Barre-Scranton for the Capitals game. This was his 1st NHL game. He blocked 1 shot and registered 13:02 TOI. He was paired with Ben Lovejoy most of the evening.
Goalie Recaps:
-Mark-Andre Fleury was off against the Rangers. Another case of who to blame to be certain, but with all the injuries, Fleury has to be counted on to keep teams to 2 or less goals if there's going to be a realistic chance to win or take it to OT. Conversely, he played very well in the Avs, Hawks, and Caps games. The team let up a lot of open chances in the Avs and Hawks games. Fleury stood tall and had a large part in the 3 points gained in these games.
Opponents:
-New York Rangers
-G Henrik Lundqvist overcame a poor start to stop 26 out of 29 saves in the win.
-RW Marian Gaborik had only scored in 9 games for the Rangers this season (as of this game).
-Colorado
-D Cameron Gaunce scored his 1st NHL goal. Congrats to him.
-RW Chris Stewart scored his 12th of year. After this game, he and young D Kevin Shattenkirk were traded to St. Louis. I'm a bit baffled by the move to be honest. To me, these are guys the Avs could build around. Obviously, their GM disagrees...and also gets paid a much better salary to disagree with me.
-C Peter Forsberg ended his 2 game comeback attempt, citing that the health of his foot would not let him play at the level he would want/expect for himself.
Forsberg leaves the game having scored 249 goals and 885 points in 708 regular season NHL games. He also played in 151 NHL playoff games , lifting the Cup with Avs twice (after the 1995-96 and 2000-01 seasons).
"Foppa" is also one of the most decorated International players as well. He played in over 200 games for the famed MoDo squad of the Swedish Elite League. In addition to multiple World Championship tournaments and a World Cup of Hockey appearance, Peter played in 4 Winter Olympics: 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010. Sweden won Olympic Gold in 1994 and 2006. The 1994 Games produced one of the most memorable moments for Forsberg, as his shootout goal against G Corey Hirsch helped win it and also became a stamp in his homeland.
On his legacy, he is quoted as saying "I hope people remember me, that when I went out on the rink, I gave everything." I know I sure will Peter. Congratulations on an excellent career in hockey. Best of luck in whatever avenues you pursue worldwide.
-Chicago
-Rookie G Corey Crawford stopped 24 of 26 shots and stopped all players he faced in the shootout. With the Blackhawks struggles this season, it seems that Crawford is being given a chance to play his win in to a prominant role for the future.
-C Patrick Sharp scored his 31st goal of the season.
-Former Penguin RW Marian Hossa's season has been plagued by injury and lack of production. He has 12 goals in 42 games.
-Washington
-Captain Alexander Ovechkin scored his 24th goal of the season on the Power Play. It was his 8th game winning goal of the season.
-G Michal Neuvirth stopped all 39 shots he faced to earn his second consecutive shutout against the Penguins.
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 todayabout 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.
screencap courtesy of 961kiss.com/pages/morningfreakshow
Over the course of the past month, the HBO cameras have taken us behind the scenes in ways that many of us always dreams of, but never thought would be possible. Whether you are a dedicated fan of one of the teams, the sport, or a casual observer, chances are that you saw the passion and humanity of the people involved in the sport of hockey in ways that moved you. Unfortunately, Episode 4 of this series means that has come to an end. The series would have to be considered a success overall, and while the last episode doesn't break any new ground, it shows us the main event.
The beginning of the episode starts with the preparation for the field and rink at Heinz Field and discussion of the weather. Throughout we will see snippets of non-winter classic games, but they are brushed over. They do take the time out to show the Penguins families in a suite at the Thrashers game. Afterwards, we see Matt Cooke taking his son around to show off a new suit. As goaltending coach Giles Meloche points out, it is the exact same suit that his dad has.
We also see a Caps-Canadiens game brushed over, with the following sequence detailing an outdoor practice. The Caps guys have some fun with the eye black, and then they have a practice. There, Bruce Boudreau utters his strangest curse of the series, "shitbums".
After the Pens-Islanders game, there is a discussion between GM Ray Shero, Dan Bylsma, and Jordan Staal about his possible return for the Winter Classic. Staalsy plays it cool, despite having a sleeve on his hand. Even if he had any doubt, he played the cards so close to the vest, it probably helped his cause. After he leaves the roo, we get what I believe is the comedic scene stealer of the series. Shero stiffly turns to Bylsma (surely aware of the comedic affect) and says "What the fuck happened last night?" in regards to the Islanders loss. We didn't see much of Shero's personality in the show, so this was a nice addition.
As the eyes continue to turn to the Classic, the weather become more a part of the discussion. WPXI Meteorologist Scott Harbaugh is interviewed. He gives a pretty good line about doing it for 17 years and nobody caring unitl now.
The scene shifts back to a Caps practice. There we see concern over the Capitals Power Play, and it's struggles (sound familiar Pens fans?). After that, they board a plane and we are shown their arrival. Some nice shots of Pittsburgh follow as they go through the Fort Pitt Tunnels and make that exit to see the city that many of us love, and the view that just can't be beat for Pittsburghers.
New Year's Eve day is the next segment, and surprisingly there is no mention of the Alumni Game. I can understand the desire to keep the focus on the main event, but come on. There were so many legends on both sides of the rink that it's a disservice to hardcore fans watching the series. But then again, everything surrounding the Alumni game was from what it seems like, so maybe that's an accurate, documentarian depiction of the event.
In the Penguins practice, Marc-Andre Fleury steals the show by cussing out players as they compete in a practice ending shootout. The loser (Jordan Staal) has to run up the steps in the closed end zone of Heinz, up to the top of Section 527.
The Capitals take the ice and the quality of the surface is discussed. The concensus is that the ice is slow, soft, and sticky. This will likely have an affect on the game, and the way the players have to handle the puck and approach plays. New Year's Eve approach and the Capitals have a team, family, and friends dinner at their hotel.
New Year's day arrives and Coach Bylsma tells Jordan Staal the news that he (and Pens fans) have been waiting for, he's officially back in the lineup. After this we see the bus ride over to the stadium, as they head across the Roberto Clemente Bridge. I may be a nerd, but there's something about seeing the city I love shown on tv like that that makes me swell with pride.
Before the game, the pregame speeches are interspersed again. The message isn't as inspiration this time to be honest, but it's still very cool to see this.
During the course of the game, we see a lot of interesting moments. I'll comment on a few.
-A ref tells Ovechkin that he can "hit all night, but not to leave his feet." Ovie does tend to charge by taking more than 2 deliberate strides at a player, and/or leaving his feet. I can live with strides, but it's nice to see a ref keeping players on their skates. Leaving one's skates can cause injury, especially a head injury.
-Sid is tripped up and the ref calls a penalty, but does not award a penalty shot. There is chirping between him and the ref, to which the ref says something along the lines of: I give you a penalty, and you're still on my case. Crosby replies, "Yeah, I've watched like 80 games and it's a penalty shot every time." I'd be interested to hear what non-Pens fans think of Crosby vs. the refs in this series. It's no secret that many think he is a whiner. I think he's gotten much better, but this was a moment I'd prefer to not have. The refs and linesman take too much abuse. I'm still amazed they put up with it.
-Matt Cooke tells a ref that he was crosschecked in the back seven times, prompting the ref to say if I missed seven crosschecks, I'm pretty lousy. Cooke says that he could "dive to embellish it if he wants".
-The rain comes in the 2nd period and seems to have an affect on the ice condition and ability to control the puck.
-A moment that I had to chuckle, narrator Liev Schreiber calls "a rare lapse by Marc-Andre Fleury" in refernce to the 2nd Caps goal. My guess is that Sabretooth doesn't write these himself, or watch many Pens games. Even when he's on top of things, Fleury makes the most calm Pens fan fidget when handling the puck sometimes.
-Lots of incidental contact talk between the Rupp non-goal and the Ovie non-goal The ref explains to Ovie, "it's either no goal or I give you a pentalty." Actually, why not both? I hate this rule, this interpretation of the rule, and think that either a defensive or offensive player should be going to the box in these cases.
-There is some time spent on the headshot to Sid at the end of the 2nd. As we now know, Sid has a concussion. What isn't known is if this hit was the cause, but incidental or not, the play should be reviewed by the league. I'm not in the camp of 100% certainty that this was an intentional head shot, but like I've discussed with the hits from the behind, the intention doesn't matter...a player should and must be in control of themselves, or at least responsible for themselves at all times when not in the act of shooting/passing/playing the puck.
-The end of the game scrum was interesting. The linesman seems to be toying with the puck (as they are often guilty of doing) and the players square off. A ref says "is this the way you want to end it?" followed by saying "drop the puck".
-As I've said, I would prefer that the teams shake their hands for this special event. A regular season game is not more heated than playoff series, and they are expected to do so after that. It is stricly a "for TV" moment, but this league needs some of those. Neither team did themselves any favors. The Pens look like babies, and the Caps look like sore winners by saying "make 'em come to us, we'll wait.".
That last point actually leads me to my summation of this episode, and the series as a whole. One thing I found was that I gained more respect for the Caps players and coaches. Respect is an important part of sports, and it is often overlooked. While this series documented the ebbs and flows of life in hockey, the end of the Winter Classic was a black eye on all of it. I'm sure many Pens fans hate the Caps. I don't. Okay, actually I do...but I also love them. I love their style of play, their intensity, and the fact that they are a rival of the team that I deeply love. They are good for the sport. I respect them. Respect for the opponent is something that is lost in today's sports landscape. Without the opponent, you don't have competition, and subsequently, don't have a sport. Every time I see the Capitals, I think of the interrogation of The Joker in "The Dark Knight" when Batman asks "why do you want to kill me?". The Joker laughs and says "I don't want to kill you. What would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, no. No. You complete me." As much as any other opponent, I truly think the Pens and Caps complete each other. What a treat it has been to peek behind the curtain for a month.
Episode 3 of the HBO series figured to be the best segment to date given that we would likely see behind the scenes access to the December 23rd matchup in Washington, DC. This episode didn't disappoint in that area, and in my opinion, this was a fantastic episode from start to finish.
For starters, we see the physical toll that the game takes on its players. It starts off with some repair work to Caps F Mike Knubles' broken jaw. Despite the horrific injury, he talks about how "eventaully your card gets pulled" and that he is thankful it wasn't worse. Such is life in the NHL. If you ever doubted how tough these guys are, you are seeing the proof. We see the aftermath of a puck to face on Penguins D Ben Lovejoy. In one of the more touching moments, we see F Evgeni Malkin deliver the team shovel (awarded to the player who impacts that night's game most) to the room where Lovejoy is being attended to by the team physician, Dr. Charles Burke. Geno even lightens the mood a bit, offering to Lovejoy: "You look awesome. Girls love." Lovejoy is near tears while descriping his first NHL goal, which is funny because his face is swollen beyond recognition, yet it is his lifelong dream that provides .
screencap courtesy of Puck Daddy
After that, the team departs and the two most startling moments of the episode are revealed on the Penguins flight. First, we see G Brent Johnson in a sleeveless half-sweater. He makes sure to let us know that is only done "out of solidarity" with fellow G Marc-Andre Fleury. As Fleury starts to talk, Sid mentions Lovejoy's face. Nonchalantly he offers that "They said the pressure would make it grow. It did."
The majority of the episode deals with the Penguins-Capitals in game showdown. It starts with a glimpse at how the coaches break the matchup down. This is the moment hardcore fans have been waiting for. Caps Coach Bruce Boudreau mentions how Malkin is prone to being easily agitated and will respond by taking bad penalties. As we see in game, his words come true. Pens coaches Dan Bylsma and Tony Granato break it down at the hotel. Granato discusses the transition game the Caps employ and how turnovers and changes of possession require quick backtracking.
In possibly my favorite moment of the series, the HBO producers split up the Bylsma/Boudreau pre-game speeches. They are intertwined in a such a manner that you could think both teams are in the same room, giving the same speech, working towards the same goal. Remarkable. If you haven't seen this, please do yourself a favor and find it immediately.
In game content, provides more glimpse at how the referees and linesman work and a huddle to decide on a delay of game call for the Penguins shooting it over the glass. There are explanations to coaches, and abusive from the stars. Ovie nearly goes postal at center ice after a tripping call and Sid drops six f-bombs after a non-call on an offensive rush. I'm actually surprised at how much abuse the refs take. To be honest, I don't think it's necessary. They must have very thick skin to not ring up more penalties for this interaction with the players.
As I requested, we see Sid discussing strategy with Chris Kunitz and Geno. He is discussing contingencies for what to do depending on the move a defenseman makes. Again, the locker room footage of each team's is interspersed, including Bylsma saying "keep hitting Green, Rupper" and "this goalie isn't that good". He does. This repeats after the 2nd period. Truly a pleasure to watch.
The third period provides more referee time. We hear an explanation to Washington D Scott Hannan about what is and is not acceptable in a post-whistle scrum with Pens F Tyler Kennedy, ending with ref Kelly Sutherland stating very matter of factly, "if he's going to go in there, he's going to take a little shit".
By the overtime, we hear Sutherland discuss why they are taking their time after a potential Mike Green goal. We then see the Warroom in Toronto, which handles all video replay for the NHL. If you've ever been watching or in arena during the delay, you know know what is being said and how it goes down. Again, thank you HBO.
After the shootout, the action moves to Heinz Field right after the Steeler game (which took place on the same night). We see Steeler coach Mike Tomlin, TE Matt Spaeth, and QB Ben Roethlisberger. LB's James Farrior and James Harrison are interviewed. Harrison declares that while he can't sake enough to play well, he thinks he could be an NHL enforcer. I'm certainly not going to tell him he can't.
The NHL's Christmas break (yes, teams are required to be off and close their locker rooms) shows us a shopping trip for Boudreau and his sons. Give the guy credit, he's not afraid to play to the camera by declaring, "it's never too early for ice cream." Caps F Eric Fehr and his stunning wife Rachel prep toys for some of Washington's residents in a gift outreach program. We also see what a Swedish Christmas looks and sounds like courtesy of Nicklas Backstrom, that Mike Green is douchey enough to wear a Yankees hat, what goes on at Mike Rupp's house, and how Dan Bylsma preps a turkey. While there may be things that happen in the episode after this, if I've learned anything in life, it's that you always go out with a laugh.
-If one wanted to, one could find any number of negatives about the Winter Classic: weather, ticket prices, sound quality at Heinz Field until the 2nd period, a regular season game being your league's marquee event despite it not being at the usual speed or standard condition, etc. I would much rather focus on the positive of the event.
First off, is the fact that I can call this an "event". It has become something that even non-NHL fans care about. Even though you can make an argument to the contrary, I would say that is a good thing. While it may not be something that brings droves of fans to the gates and tv, it certainly will increase the curiousity of a non-fan.
Next, I commend the fans of both teams. I'm sure there were some instances of trouble, but I didn't see any from 4pm until the end of the game. This is a heated rivlary, but the fans managed to co-exist in relative peace. Most of the times, a fan attending a game at an NFL stadium in the opposing teams jersey is taking their life in to their own hand. That wasn't the case both in terms of tailgating and inside the game.
The NHL brass isn't something that gets many accolades, but I also want to congratulate them on the event. The ice held up. While it is reported that they were close to delaying the 3rd period during the heaviest of rains, it didn't appear that safety was compromised. The game was completed and was a good contest. The decision to change the start time was a great one. Despite months of advertising that the game would be at 1pm, the switch did not harm ratings (won the night in 18-49 demo, avg of 4.65 million viewers, and had NBC 3rd overall among networks according to NHLfanhouse.com) and the NHL held its own. That may not sound like a win, but when it comes to the NHL on tv in America, believe me, it is.
Lastly, the players themselves. It can't be easy to remove yourself from the routine that they build for the regular season. Each of these players did so, and did so with a smile on their face. It was a chippy game. All the distractions and hype really didn't affect the 60 minutes that count. Washington earned 2 points, and maybe some bragging rights (I'll still take the Stanley Cup though).
-Sidney Crosby did not have a point in the game. Why is that a good thing? I'm very glad the Islanders stopped his point streak in the previous game. It would be gut-wrenching to think of the greastest point streak the league has seen in years being derailed by a game that isn't quite at NHL speed or quality. I'd suppose you could argue that about most Islanders games though too...
Ghastly Lowlights:
-The Weather was a bit of a disappointment, but it didn't ruin the event. If you live in Pittsburgh you know how odd our weather is. If you don't, let's just say this: Nobody was all that surprised that, despite an aveage temp of 24.7 F for the month of December (nearly 8 degrees below normal), there were a few days with spring-like weather. Boo on you mother nature. The one time everybody wanted it to be cold and snowy...
-Have to say, I would prefer a handshake after the game between the teams. I understand things are heated because this game counts, but this is a national showcase. Sportsmanship is one of the hallmarks of the sport. That is truly important, especially in a sports landscape where bad behavior and disrespect reigns.
-I'll be sad to see the HBO series come to an end Wednesday. It has been nothing short of excellent. A sincere thank you to everyone involved with it.
-"Incidental Contact" wiped a potential tying game off the board from the Penguins, and also took away an Alexander Ovechkin goal. I'm not sure when this became fashionable, but to me, any contact with the goalie that disallows a goal should be a penalty on either the offending offensive player, or the defender if they are deemed to have caused the contact between offensive player and the goalie. Just like you have to be in control of your stick, you should be in control of your body around the crease.
Forward Recaps:
-Jordan Staal truly looked like he had not missed one game this season. He some great work in the defensive end, and seemed to fit well on both the PK and with Evgeni Malkin. Good to see him back in the lineup. It will be interesting to see what kind of chemistry he and Malkin can develop. In their rookie season, they both were very strong together.
-Evgeni Malkin scored a goal on a breakaway. This was easily the biggest suprise of the game. He had a goal in the shootout against the Islanders (despite a terrible night). Maybe he is feeling more comfortable at an area that he struggles with historically.
Defenseman Recaps:
-Brooks Orpik saved a goal on one of the times where Fleury was out of position/wandering. The game could have taken a worse turn without some head's up stick-work by Brooksie. I told you I'd say something positive about him!
Goalie Recaps:
-Mark-Andre Fleury got an assist on the Malkin goal, but the story of the night was his puckhandling. He was caught out of a position at least 3 times. When he wanders from the crease, every Pens fan holds their breath. I am not a believer that one play wins or loses a game, but the 2nd Caps goal was certainly a back breaker considering that it was handed right to the stick of Eric Fehr with an open net.
Opponents:
-Washinton
-F Mike Knuble has scored in 10 straight games against the Pens. Maybe somebody will pick him up before he gets to the crease. I'd imagine nearly all of these goals came from right around the net.
-D John Erskine had a decent scrap with Pens F Mike Rupp in the 1st Period.
-F Eric Fehr had 2 goals for the Caps, helping propel his team to the win. Between that and his wife, wins both on and off the ice for him.
-F Alexander Ovechkin was celebrating the win demonstratively before it even happened. I typically do not have a problem with celebration for achievement, but I would prefer that it waits until after the horn sounds.
-G Semyon Varlamov made 32 saves and was truly the difference in the game.
Screencap courtesy of dc.sbnation.com/washington-capitals/
As the second episode of the 24/7 Pens/Caps series opened, we see Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis sitting in the hotel, watching "NHL On the Fly" on the NHL Network. Sid proceeds to describe his November fight with Dallas' Matt Niskanen. This is a pretty funny moment, and in some ways, Sid seems kind of nerdy on camera. Not uncomfortable, but his personality seems like the type of person that isn't aware of how funny they are.
From there the episode follows a very similar format and surely will for the remaining two weeks. We are introduced to some new people, and find ourselves viewing new situations. There are locker rooms, coach meetings, road trips, practices, families, and some intersting off the ice stuff. By the end of the episode, I found myself disappointed that time was up. I wanted more. There's so much I would like to see or expand upon, but an hour can only hold so much.
From a coaching standpoint, we see more interaction by Washington Coach Bruce Boudreau and his team. His tune is similar, and for most of the episode the team's fate is as well. In the last segment, the Caps finally break their losing streak. Before then we see a very telling moment. The Caps are down 2-0 to the Senators at intermission. For the first time in this series, Boudreau's words seem to have an impact on the players. He tells them simply that "they don't want anything bad to happen" and that "too many of us like it here". He isn't lamenting the rumors that he could be jettisoned as head coach. He's talking about any of them with the exception of Alexander Ovechkin. When a hockey team doesn't lift their nose out of a funk, people start to go. Not just coaches, player too. Friends/brothers/teammates.
In Washington, the man in charge of those personnel decisions is GM George McPhee. We get our first interaction with him. Frankly, he doesn't seem to light up a room. His words seems flat and cliched. When Boudreau and he meet to discuss previous games, it seems more like people shootin' the breeze than it does people with a purpose. A moment that caught my ear was McPhee denouncing critics of the team and front office as if all of them are mornons. If they "knew anything about hockey", they'd be involved in the game in his words. Respectfully, I disagree George. It would be like dismissing someone that rebuilds cars as a hobby, because they aren't an auto-worker. You can have passions in life that aren't your living. In fact, I dare say, for most of us our passions have nothing to do with our livings. If anything though, this shows the pressure building around McPhee and the Caps. I would contend that it doesn't matter much what happens until the playoffs. But another failure in the spring, and both Boudreau and McPhee likely will find themselves in need of a knew place to practice their knowledge of the sport.
From the Penguins side, we see interactions between Dan Bylsma and Tony Granato. Granato seems to censor himself in discuss Dupuis' performance, but he and Bylsma agree to talk to him. They seem displeased with his output on a line with Crosby. He also discussing Malkin having trouble with the difference between "defending a teammate" and "making the right play".
In Bylsma's case, a glimpse is offered in to his family life. We meet his wife and son, and see him playing hockey with his son. He's just having fun, and "not his coach" as he makes it clear to the cameras. Family is a recurring theme with the Penguins it seems. We also see Craig Adams and his kids. They are looking at some photos of the players on the team, with each being named by the child. After a few the kid says "Craig", to which Adams replies, "you mean daddy?".
Then there's some time seeing Alexander Ovechkin's home life. It consists of him and his parents. I think it's part joke, part difference in culture when he says someday he'll find a wife and live with her but for now it's them because he's not going to cook or clean. It would be interesting to hear them talk a bit. What an interesting story it is for two Cold-War era parents from Moscow to live with their son as the toast of Washington DC.
A highlight of the episode for many will the appearance of Pens Owner and Legend, Mario Lemieux. He doesn't appear the least bit rusty during the scrimmage at Consol Energy Center. Not very surprising that after 5 years not playing in a game, he can still dangle the puck around anyone he wants to with that long reach.
At the end of the day, this show is about the present day players though. There's plenty of practice rink and locker room time in this episode. We see Caps D Mike Green working his way back from injury, and owning a Vespa. I think the series' oddest moment has been sewn up. I'm not sure what anyone could do to be stranger than this. During a game in Boston, Caps Alternate Captain Mike Knuble lets the team know that this game "will not turn in to a laugher". Seems like everyone in that room believed him. This moment made me realize something we haven't seen yet...either team's Captain say much of anything in a locker room setting. To me this is peculiar. I realize both Ovie and Sid lead by example and all that, but I always thought wearing the "C" meant more than on-ice performance or work ethic. It's for guys with the respect of the room and the sack to say what needs to be said at any given moment. Maybe we'll catch a glimpse of this yet from either side. I would love to see what these guys do in terms of the diry work required for their "C". So far we've seen Ovechkin's massages and Crosby's superstiations. Maybe next week.
Off-ice hijinx continues as well, with Penguin Matt Cooke going in to the Coyotes dressing room to tamper with former Penguin Paul Bissonette's gear. As the Caps embark on a road trip, there's also some silliniess going on at a team dinner with "shoe checking" and lobster heads.
The in game content has become suprisingly non-descript in the second episode, in my opinion. After the first, I found myself wanting more. This week, I find myself realizing you're only going to get so much out of the context of a game. A new element was introduced though, the referees. We hear more of what they say during post-whistle scrums and fights. Bill McCreary chides Mike Green for swearing at him about what he thought was a missed high stick. We also see inside the referees dressing room after a controversial call in the Penguins game. Steven Walkom is congratulated by the linesmen for a gutsy call. Rather than re-hash this call, I will say that the refs and linesman have a tough job night in and night out. I'm not a big believer in whining about refereeing. The fact of the matter is if you put yourself in a situation where one call makes or breaks you, you probably didn't do your job.
Our second hour glimpse behind the curtain has now came and went. The next episode promises to have some quality in-game audio from a spirited contest between these teams at the Verizon Center. If the first two episodes are any indication, we will be checking the clock and wishing for more. Hard to think that there are only two more episodes of this excellence. It's going to be hard to shut the curtain and not get to look back in for the rest of the season. Give HBO plenty of credit for that, but also give these teams and the NHL a doff of the cap for having the sack to allow them in.
Screencap courtesy of dc.sbnation.com/washington-capitals/
Games: vs. PHO (W 6-1), vs. FLA (W 5-2), @ WAS (W 3-2 SO)
Notable Highlights:
-6 out of 6 points, but there are actually some items for me to harp on. That's what I call the best of both worlds for a Pens fan/wildly unpopular blogger.
-The goal off the faceoff near the end of the 1st period of the Phoenix game was unreal. Sid went forward with it after somehow lulling his opponent to sleep by letter him "win" the draw. From there an easy tap of to Evgeni Malkin and the Coyotes had to go to the locker room pretty dejected. That was a huge goal. The difference between being down 1-0 and 2-0 at the break. That may not sound like much, but, to steal the Pensblog phrase, they were "stunned". (I'm done referring to him by his full name every time by the way. It's stupid. If you don't know who I mean, you won't be here for long anyways.)
-Scoring continues to come from multiple sources on the team. It's exciting when everyone contributes, mainly because it allows the starts to not feel burdened, yet at the same time it probably gives the role guys a sense of accomplishment and belonging to the team.
-Power Play went 3 for 5 against Phoenix. You wish there were more nights where it clicked this easy. If you don't, I sure do.
-C Sidney Crosby's scoring streak has reached 23 games. If he doubles his current streak, he will tie Mario Lemieux's club record. From there it would "only" be another week or two to glory. I've done some pretty loud scoffing at the notion that Sid could compare to Gretzky or Mario, but as I said before I'm a numbers guy. If he even gets this streak in to the 30s, it could be the most impressive thing Penguins fans have seen since the return of Lemieux himself. While the chance of breaking any streaks are still very low, the way Crosby is playing has even made a skeptic like me a giddy fan. If there was any doubt he has entered his "prime". The next five years should be pretty entertaining. It will be intersting to see what the Canadian reaction is, if such a scoring streak scenario plays out that he could actually challenge a record of the Great Gretzky.
-G Marc-Andre Fleury turned in a spectacular performance against the Capitals. I felt that most of the game the Caps had way better chances, and the Penguins were fairly sloppy at times. His save on Caps Dman/Vespa owner Mike Green gained the team an extra point. Without Fleury, this could have been a laugher for Ovechkin and the boys in red. How rough would that be to watch on HBO?
Ghastly Lowlights:
-Power play was 0 for 5 against Washington. They were up 2-1 with under 11 minutes left in the game and did not convert on either chance they had. A 3-1 lead on either chance would have ended it. Instead, they floundered and gave up a shortie on the later of the PP's. It's fun to woop it up when we're handing Phoenix their hats, but in April and May teams like Washington and Philadelphia will be in between the 4th Stanley Cup and a disappointing season. Didn't need a 3 for 5 performance, just a goal in the 3rd period of a close which if you've been reading this season, I have pointed out time and time again as a shortcoming.
-F Matt Cooke's roughing penalty when the team was already down a man was ill-advised, but it wasn't dirty. Don't get me wrong it was illegal. It is one of the types of hits the NHL is trying to eliminate. When Cooke hit Phoenix D Keith Yandle he made contact to the head, which also resulted in contact between Yandle's head and the glass. This was illegal, but not dirty. It's a play that's just about instinctual for Cooke and many throughout the league. If he was looking to hurt Yandle, there are plenty of other ways he could have attempted it.
-The discipline of the team seemed a bit off during this stretch. Multiple two-man disadvantages, stupid penalties, and even a sequence where the Pens where down two men and D Brooks Orpik was in the box just waiting for his time to even begin. This is troubling, but if "24/7" has shown me anything, it's that Coach Dan Byslma and GM Ray Shero will be discussing it and addressing it. At least the PK killed 16 of the 17 chances, including 8 of 8 against Phoenix, and more importantly 5 of 6 against a Washington team that just can't struggle forever.
Forward Recaps:
-Matt Cooke had 2 goals and a strange penalty. He flipped the puck nearly the entire length of the ice on a penalty kill against Washington. It flung all the way in to the netting behind Caps G Michal Neuvirth. Never saw that happen before.
-Evgeni Malkin had 5 point against the Coyotes and looks very healthy, very strong on the puck, and very motivated. Somebody has to get it through to him that his penalties and the things he doesn't get called for (like moving a fallen stick of a Capitals player while on the PP) are not agressive, "power forward" penalties that you can live. They are stupid. He's better than that.
-Mark Letestu had a hell of a goal against Florida. Last time I praised him in his role as a grinder. It's no co-incidence that he is playing well with Tyler Kennedy and Chris Conner (who also had a goal in this stretch) within his role, and all of the sudden the puck and great chances are finding him as opposed to when he was in a top 6 role and had to attempt to produce these chances himself to some extent.
Defenseman Recaps:
-Deryk Engelland has become a dangerous fighter in this league. He put Coyote Taylor Pyatt on his back with a wicked right. At this point, there aren't many tough guys out there that aren't aware of this, so for him to continue to get in good shots is pretty impressive.
-Ben Lovejoy bounced back from his tragic game with a good performance versus the Panthers. He scored his first NHL goal and had an altercation. I call it that, because I'm not sure that he landed a punch (he may have connect on a backhand though). I don't like to dedicate two defense recaps to fighting, because fighting isn't on my list of reasons the Penguins will or won't suceed this season. I do it in Lovejoy's case, because it does stand for something. He isn't going to be that kind of player in the NHL, but at the moment he is a #7 defenseman on a team that is playing well. Him getting in to a scrap shows that he is not satisfied to milk that role. He wants more and is doing what he can to warrant the chance.
Goalie Recaps:
-Amazingly enough, nobody has called for the trade of Marc-Andre Fleury lately. Six weeks ago, it was as if he was spotted urinating on a Christmas tree on the Incline. He's second in all-star ballot for goalies and is sure to be a feature point of the Winter Classic. What a difference a few weeks, some faith from the coaching staff, and a few wins under his belt has made in his performance and fan perception. I guess you really never are as good as your best day or as bad as your worst day, even if Yinzers don't agree.
-Brent Johnson was injured in the game against Florday. John Curry has been called up from Wilkes-Barre until Johnny can get right. I would like to see Curry get a game before then. He didn't fare very well last year in his games. I'm rooting for him to have a decent game at this level.
Opponents: -PhoenixThey looked uninterested and I'm uninterested in writing about them. It's hard to believe this team is staying in Glendale, AZ.
-FloridaI can't remember the last time I saw G Tomas Vokoun look so shaky, but the last time he did it was against the Penguins at the Civic Arena. He was pulled, which marked the second straight game the Pens got to chew through a starter to the backup.
-WashingtonMost of the game, the Caps had the better of the chances. Alex Ovechkin is having a subpar season, with only 12 goals to date. He had as many hits on Evgeni Malkin in the first period as he does Power Play Goals this season...maybe that's part of the problem. At any rate, just like when I would say don't judge the Penguins too harshly by their slump, I'd like to say the same on behalf of the Capitals. It's December. Nothing they do between now and the playoffs matters. They want to be an elite team, their bread will be buttered or not in April, May, and June if they are deserving. If not, that's when it's time to gloat. Not now.
