Recap: Pens-Ning Games 6 and 7 (See Yinz Next Season)

Game 6: L 4-2, Game 7: L 1-0 (Ning win series 4-3)

Notable Highlights:

-When you blow a 3-1 series lead and lose in game 7 at home, there isn't much positive. The guys fought hard. That's about all I can say good about it. Since I'm not feeling the positive vibes, I'm going to toot my own horn by recapping my keys to victory as typed here a few weeks back:

-To win against the 'Ning, the Pens must:

-Activate the forwards: Get the puck in deep. Punish the Lighnting defenseman to cause turnovers or hesitance.Without the puck, get 2 in on the forecheck and force their guys to move the puck efficiently. The Pens had trouble gaining the line all series. When they dumped the puck in, they were sporadic in their ability to gain it back.

-Follow Coach Bylsma's philosophy: Coach believes that each series is going to 7 games. You can lose 3 times. In fact, you can play like complete trash 3 times if you win 4 games. They followed this theory, maybe a bit too losely since they lost 3 straight to close the series out.

-Sidney who?: Don't get caught up in the distractions of whether Sid is going to play, what the plan is with him, what type of cereal he likes, etc. As Coach says, "it's not about who's not here, it's about who is in this room." If the team did not get caught up in this, it's a good thing they didn't. In the goodbye interviews at Consol, Sid dropped a bomb in his confirmation that he had experienced symptoms again after his hardest workouts. This forced him to shut it back down. He is not "worried" about difficulty returning next season, but if you're a Penguin fan reading his comments are certainly chilling in the potential for additional missed time due to symptoms. 

-Convert on the Power Play. This could be the difference. 1 for 35. That's certainly a difference. Just not the kind we wanted.

-Capitalize on mistakes: The Lightning have less experience. Make them think instead of play. Despite the outcome, I feel like the Pens did a great job of this. To their credit, the Lightning minimized their mistakes. They paid for the ones the made, especially goalie Dwayne Roloson's puckhandling gaffes.

-Watch Martin St. Louis At All Times: A lot of focus will be on other players, but St. Louis fits the mold of a "Penguin killer". He's slippery and knows how to score talented and garbage goals. See, sometimes I really do know what I'm talking about...

-To win against the Pens, the Lighnting must:

-Be disciplined: Stay in their assigned spots in the 1-3-1 system. The Penguins believe in taking the attack to the other team. They are going to do that. Being overly aggressive won't help matters. Be where you're supposed to be. The 1-3-1 worked to near perfection. The Penguins had trouble navigating the neutral zone, gaining the line, and recovering the puck.

-Keep it simple in the defensive zone: As mentioned, the Pens will look to be in the offensive zone a lot. When you get control of the puck, don't be fancy. Looking for the rush could put you in a bad situation. Make the simple pass or play off the wall to make sure the puck clears the zone. The Ning Dmen did their best to keep the puck out of the zone, and also kept bodies away from Rollie the goalie.

-Avoid Turnovers: Turning the puck over can lead to extra chances in the defensive end or odd man rushes coming back. Execution with the puck is crucial against a team as aggressive as the Penguins. Except for Roloson, there aren't many turnovers that stand out to me as being costly, so another win for team Tampa.

-Bring Spucoli Back: Steven Stamkos only had 4 goals down the stretch. To move forward (and avoid extreme criticism) he will need to get back on the score sheet. He is a very talented player. Stamkos didn't have a big series, but he showed up in the game 5 rout. That game certainly turned the series looking back on it.

-Avoid Stirring Things Up: Take a page from the Detroit Red Wings. Don't go out of your way for scrums. The Penguins team is mid-level in terms of forward skill, but aggressive. Frustrate them by skating away after whistles early and often and you may find yourself on a few Power Plays. This wasn't a scrummy series by any means, but Ryan Malone sure stirred his share of shit up. I do believe the Pens forward group would have fared better in a chippier series, as opposed to a series about technical play and positioning.

-Be Cautious on the PP, Hack The Pens: The Pens had the #1 PK Unit and scored 13 shorthanded goals. Special teams can really swing a series. Until the Penguins prove otherwise, don't be afraid to take penalties when a good scoring chance presents itself. If they can't convert, it isn't penalizing you. Tampa won the special teams battles. Their power play was dominant. They also showed a disregard for the Penguins power play, which is great coaching. "If they can't convert, it isn't penalizing you".

-Remember That This Is A 7 Game Series: Even down 3-1, they kept this in mind. Now the play Washington in the 2nd round. Congratulations to them on a well played series.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Not interested it beating the guys up. The power play stunk. So did the penality killing. The offense was not there, and I wasn't really thrilled with Fleury or the defense if I"m being honest...but what did you expect this group to do? They gave it their all. It wasn't good enough.

-I would have liked some lineup changes, so I do think Coach Bylsma got a little bit stubborn towards the end of the series. Would it have made the difference needed to squeak out 1 win in 3 games? Possibly. Possibly not. But even if we won...we'd likely be getting killed by Washington right now...and I sure as hell don't ever want that. Go 'Ning!

-Free agency is just around the corner (starting July 1) so that means a list of Penguins will not return. It's been real Max Talbot! Thank you for Game 7 in Detroit. You'll likely get paid somewhere else next season, as could guys like Pascal Dupuis, Mike Rupp, Arron Asham, Chris Conner, and Craig Adams. We've seen the last of the ghost of Alexei Kovalev and Eric Goddard will take his fists elsewhere. It always sucks to see guys go after you develop an affinity for them, but thems the breaks in sports. Head over to capgeek.com for more information on the Penguins situation or more information on league wide free agency.

-This update itself is a lowlight. I know when I've not done my best work. I'm not gonna bullshit you. It's not really my favorite thing to sit here and eulogize the guys season, so I went light on it. I am proud of this blog though. There's a small segment of you out there that actually enjoy it, to you I raise my stick. I vowed that no matter what I would make it one full season and see where things stand. At this point in time, I see no reason to stop. This isn't exactly the most viewed website on the internet, but that was never what this is about to me. I live for this sport, and specifically the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the next few weeks, I hope to the get up some short recaps for every guy that played in at least one game. After that we'll prep for free agency, and I also will be trying my hand at some broad topics in the sport (not to step on co-bloggers toes, just to keep at it). Again, no matter what team you root for or what country you're from, thank you and keep coming back. It's been a great innaugural season at Shootin' the Puck!

Tampa Bay:


-Coach Guy Boucher's system worked perfectly and he never let his guys get rattled. GM Steve Yzerman made a hell of a pick. Tampa has defiinitely turned a corner in their rebuild and may be a force in the East before we know it.

-G Dwayne Roloson stopped 243 out of 256 shots for a .949 save percentage. Many said that Martin St. Louis was the player of the series. I'm not taking away his performance, but most people that favored the Penguins believe that a 41 year old goalie would falter sooner or later. didn't happen. Even in the losses, he didn't play terrible. I must admit, I am starting to wonder the true value of high priced goalies.

Recap: Pens-Ning Games 3-5

Game 3: W 3-2 , Game 4: W 3-2 (2OT) , Game 5: L 8-2 (Pens lead series 3-2)

Notable Highlights:

-After 5 games, the story continues to unfold. From the Tampa side, there is sure to be a bravado. "We have 'em right where we want 'em" is likely a rally cry for their fanbase. Frankly, it's tough to tell if that's false optimism or the truth. More than anything, that right there is the beauty of the NHL playoffs. We've witnessed 5 games, the Penguins are within 1 game of winning the series, yet it could still go any way.

Make no mistake, if you're a Pittsburgh Penguin you want no part of a game 7. But at the same time, you can't lose faith in yourself if it gets to that point. They say you should never bet with your hearts, but I"m still picking the Pens to win game 6. Home teams are 16-23 in the games played thus far in the 2011 playoffs...not exactly an overwhelming case for "home ice advantage".

Will last season's Penguins team show up or will the "road dogs" from the Stanley Cup season? Only time answers that. If you've followed the blog this season, you know that I'm a Pens fan. I don't apologize for that. That doesn't mean I can't look at the team objectively though.

So far, they've been timely and oppurtunistic in their wins, and terrible in their losses. That doesn't give me confidence in a long playoff run...but it also doesn't mean they hand over game 6. If that happens, I'll be in the building for my first ever game 7...I don't think my heart will be able to handle it, so if you've enjoyed this blog at all, hope for a game 6 win!

-Tyler Kennedy's game 3 goal was huge. It came right after the Ning rallied to tie the game. If the Penguins win the series, this was likely one of the top reasons why. Had game 3 went to OT, perhaps the series takes a different shape. He also netted a power play goal in game 4.

-James Neal got a fluky, yet superb goal in the second OT of game 4. This doesn't reverse the fact that he has done little of what he was brought here to do (score goals), but he has worked hard and it was good to see a bounce go his way.

-Arron Asham continued his excellent play in games 3 and 4, scoring in each game. All credit to him for stepping up, but for him to be the lead scorer after 5 games isn't an overwhelming sign that this team has the depth in scoring to go deep.

-Because of the Chris Kunitz suspension, Eric Tangradi was in the lineup for game 4 and his screening of Dwayne Roloson greatly assisted Tyler Kennedy's shot in finding the net.

-Unrelated to this series, Pens billionaire co-owner Ron Burkle is making a bid with legend Steve Garvey to buy the LA Dodgers from MLB. Head here for more information if you are interested. He is also on a short list of candidates to purchase Warner Music Group. Article on that can be found at this link. Best of luck to Mr. Burkle in all his pursuits.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Game 3 featured two plays that were suspendable incidents. Tampa's Steve Downie took about 6 strides and blind-sided Pens D Ben Lovejoy behind the net, while also leaving his feet to make contact. Pens F Chris Kunitz later elbowed Tampa's Simon Gagne for no reason other than retaliation. Both plays warranted suspension, and deserved more than 1 game each player was penalized. For that matter, each play warranted more than a 2 minute in-game penalty in my opinion as well.

The Kunitz play is pretty simple, watch it below. If you think this isn't an intent to injure on Kunitz's part, I'm not sure we are on the same wavelength in terms of how the sport of hockey should be played. I would have given him a match penalty and sent him to the showers for the night.

Then we have the Steve Downie run on Ben Lovejoy.  My view on these types of hits has changed over the years. I will admit to being in the building on a few instances where then Pens F Colby Armstrong caught someone in a similar fashion. Did I cheer? You bet. As I've come to realize the danger of blindside hits in the sport, has my opinion changed? You bet. Wreckless blindside hits, especially when they fit the criteria of a charge have no place in the sport. Watch the hit here again. Why this wasn't a 5 minute match penalty as well is beyond me. NHL referees are a slight notch above the old WWF refs that would be looking in the crowd while somebody took a crowbar to the face. Come on guys, there are 4 of you out there at a time. Put your heads together, and make the tough calls to preserve player saftey!

Ok, so both of these plays warranted a suspension, but a play from the Vancouver-Chicago series did not. Vancouver's Raffi Torres hit Chicago's Brent Seabrook in a similar fashion. It was not as blatant of a charge, yet it was a blindside hit behind the net. No suspension was levied because he made "legal contact to the head". You read that right. Concussions were up in the sport of hockey, and there is such a thing as "legal contact to the head".

NHL Dud of Discipline Colin Campbell in charge of all this stuff and has continually missed the point and oppurtunity to gain control of the growing danger of headshots. For a great article on the matter (seriously, I don't mean that superfluously), head on over to bleacherreport.com. I would like to write and expound on the matter, but Tim King already has and says it best when he states that these incidents "have exposed Colin Campbell as a clueless buffoon whose continued presence on the scene will do nothing to clarify this matter for players or fans going forward."

Let us also not forget that Pens super villain Matt Cooke was banished for the rest of the regular season and first round of the playoffs for an illegal hit. I support the supsension even though it was one of Cooke's more tame violations this season. That was surely a way to stick it to the Pens for the Islanders debacle.

Campbell's reasoning for the low supsensions for Kuntiz and Downie was that playoff games are "worth more". If playoff games are "worth more" in terms of a punishment, would they by extension also not be "worth more" in terms of a possible injury to a player? Would that "worth" not dictate more instead of less? I think the answer is obvious, but when it comes to the NHL and consistent officiating and discipline they are worlds away from the other sports leagues. This is a danger to player safety, confusing for the players who want to stay within the rule set, and a total embarrassment to the sport. I'm hoping Colie will make his discipline less about sticking it to Pens co-owner Mario Lemieux and more about what it should be, the betterment of his sport.

-Pens Power Play is now 1 for 25 in series. Root's Paul Steigerwald was critical of Tampa Captain Vincent Lecavalier for taking too many penalties and how that's not leadership. Somebody should tell Steigy it's only hurting your team if the other team's PP unit scores above the current 4% clip they have scored at. If I'm Coach Guy Boucher, I make it well known that penalties in the defensive zone between the circles are a-okay with me. "Prove me wrong" would be my motto.

-On the other side of the equation, Tampa has scored 8 times in 22 chances (36.4%). Don't lose sight of the impact Matt Cooke's absence is having on the team's PK. That's not whining. Cooke deserves to be out, and again I criticize his selfish play for costing the team. If I'm Ray Shero, I take a long hard look at moving him in the off-season. This is when we need him the most, but because he has the inability to head-hunt he is watching from the press box. As those across the pond might says, "Bollocks!".

-What can you really say about an 8-2 loss at home when you have a chance to close out a series? From top to bottom, the battle level wasn't there. Each player should (and hopefully will) take a look in the mirror and at the game film and realize that they didn't play Penguins hockey. They were sloppy and lethargic (like I say they usually are in day games) and once behind they ran around head hunting and looking for scrums and hits. Game 6 will be won on the scoreboard and the way this group can get on the scoreboard is keeping it simple with short, crisp passing, and hustle to loose pucks. If Tampa is winning the battles as they did in games 2 and 5, this series will go 7. Once you reach game 7, you flip a coin and hope for the best. The Penguins control their own destiny still. Win and the 2 bad losses in the series do not mean a thing aside from items that the coaching staff can teach with.

Tampa Bay:

-Coach Guy Boucher finds his team down 3 games to 2, yet if you are looking for him to blink it isn't going to happen. His team returns to the their home ice for game 6. That's all they have to worry about. They've won or been in each of the games in the series, so they don't have worry from that standpoint. His main concern may be the Penguins collective playoff experience in meaningful games. He will rely on his vets such as Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Ryan Malone to make sure the younger guys are in the right frame of mind. They can't win the series in game 6, but they can certainly devastate the Penguins with a win and keep their season alive. One step at a time is all they have, but it's also all they need.

-Tampa has to be excited beyond belief at the team wide awakening in game 5. "Spucoli" Steven Stamkos netted his first 2 goals, and took a big step towards alleviating any possible criticism that he was absent when his team needed him the most. Watch for him to be energized in game 6. With all the attention that must be paid to the other Ning forwards, Stamkos could get open for some of his patented one time goals from the sides.

-G Dwayne Roloson continues to be a large part of the story for Tampa. he has stopped 180 out of 191 shots for a .942 save percentage. That is getting the job done. Just for statistical comparison, Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 112 out of 124 shots for a .903 save percentage.

Recap: Pens-Ning Games 1 and 2

Notable Highlights:

-After 2 games, the series is tied at 1. Unfortunately many fans don't read this blog or realize that the playoffs are all about peaks and valleys. There were too many fans (and press) crowing about how great the team looks after game 1. Conversely, the dejection after game 2 is not necessarily the reality of this team. Somewhere in between the performances of these games, the true story of both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning sits. While games 3 and 4 increase in importantance, remember that it will still only be a part of the story.

-The 2nd period of game 2 contained a segment of about 10-15 minutes where the Penguins completely dictated play, but could onlly manage 1 goal on the board. Had a 2nd been tallied, the result could have been different. Give credit to the 'Ning and especially G Dwayne Roloson for weathering the storm.

-D Brooks Orpik continues to be a true vocal leader. His comments after game 2 are refreshing, but also frighteningly similar to the types of things he was saying during the Canadiens series last season. Even though nobody's asking me, I continue to believe that Brooksie is worthy of a "C" on any NHL team, including this one.

-Arron Asham has points in both of the first 2 games.

-The Pens are generating a lot of shots, but they now need to focus on the quality of shots. Shots from the sides will be relatively easy for G Dwayne Roloson and should also not provided the rebound oppurtunites that the Penguins grinding forwards can capitalize on. A better effort needs to be made to get the puck back to the middle and have guys near the crease.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-It's really not fair to blame individuals soley for losses, but let's hypothetically say I had to pick the 3 Anti-Stars for Game 2. At the top of my blame list would be D Paul Martin, D Kris Letang, and G Marc-Andre Fleury.

Letang will always get a pass from women because he's a dreamboat, but as I've pointed out many times, his game is very Goligoski-like, only with higher ups/lower lows. Based on Coach Bylsma's comments 4/16 (around the 2:00 mark), I don't think the coaching staff is looking for him to pinch in some of the situations where he is getting caught out of position, nor are they happy with his performance in terms of consistency.

From the beginning, I have not been sold on Paul Martin. He is a $5 million cap hit. Purely as a fan, I hope this is his "Gonchar year" where he struggles and then it clicks next season. When it rains it pours they say, and his game 2 performance was a downpour of flood level proportion.

Marc-Andre Fleury. Pardon the pun, but he is "lightning rod" when it comes to discussion of the Penguins. Some would say that he doesn't deserve to be on this list based on his performance in game 1 and the odd man rushes. I'd slightly concede that point. The reason I include him is again because whenever media and fans crow about his performance (MVP...really??), there will be a stinker sooner rather than later. Yes, 2-on-1s suck as a goalie. MVP's find a way to stop them. MVP's also find a way to not let the first shot, or some of the first handful of shots go in when the team is falling apart.

-Pens Power Play was 0 for 13 in the first 2 games of the series. I'll explain that in case it is escaping any of you...the Penguins have had an extra person on the ice due to Tampa penalty 13 times in 2 games. They have scored 0 times. If I'm the Lightning coaching staff, I encourage my guys to continue to hack and whack any legitimate scoring chance until the Pens show it's worth thinking otherwise.

-By losing a home game, the Penguins have temporarily lost "home ice advantage". If Tampa were to win only home games from here on out, they would clinch the series. That is why the Pens have "lost" this advatage. A win in Tampa, would shift it back to the Penguins advantage.

-Root's Bob Errey made perhaps the stupidest comment ever recorded regarding Alexei Kovalev's role on the power play when he indicated that Kovalev needed to be one of the guys chasing and gaining the puck on dump-ins. While I understand this is something that is needed, to suggest that Kovalev has the desire, ability, or effectiveness to do so is silly. Kovalev is what he is. He scored a big goal in game 1 due to turnover and nice play by James Neal. I don't think Kovy is gonna outwork anybody for the puck, power play or otherwise. If that's the ingredient that the PP is missing, it's time get Arron Asham or Mike Rupp out there.

Tampa Bay:
-Coach Guy Boucher has to be thrilled with both of the first 2 games of the series. Yes they lost game 1, but they were not run out of the building. The next day, Boucher gathered the team for about an hour and discussed philosophy. The game 1 loss helped him quietly regain the attention of the team. They knew they could have won game 1, Boucher reminded them of where they went wrong. Game 2 showed the Lightning are a worthy foe when they listen to their Coach.

-The 1-3-1 system is working well. The Penguins are having trouble gaining the blue line and when they are in the zone effectively, the majority of the shots are coming from the sides. This limits the severity of the scoring changes and is exactly what the 'Ning want. The would rather face 70 shots from the sides than 25-30 in or near the slot.

-G Dwayne Roloson stopped 72 of the 75 shots he has faced. He is hoping to continue to face the shots from the side and follow the Montreal Canadiens/Jaroslav Halak blueprint for success from last spring.

Review: Games 80-82, Playoff Preview Pens-Ning

Games: vs. NJ (W 4-2), @ NYI (W 4-3 SO), @ ATL (W 5-2)

Notable Highlights:

-6 of 6 possible points. Team finished with 106 points and in 4th place in the Conference. Tampa Bay is the 1st round playoff opponent. This recap will be light. Regular season is over, it doesn't matter now. There is only one goal (shown above).

-There were three 20 goal scorers: Sid (32), Chris Kunitz (23), Tyler Kennedy (21).

-The Penguins PK finished 1st in the league at 86.1%

-The PK also generated some offense, scoring 13 shorties. Pascal Dupuis lead the way with 4.

-As a team, the Penguins gave up 2.39 goals per game, finishing 7th in the League.

-Seems to be some support in the national media behind Coach Dan Bylsma winning the Jack Adams Trophy for coach of the year. After a garbage start, the Pens turned it around and never let the wheels fall off when everything continued to give them excuses to quit. The whole coaching staff deserves credit for that.

-To win against the 'Ning, the Pens must:

-Activate the forwards: Get the puck in deep. Punish the Lighnting defenseman to cause turnovers or hesitance.Without the puck, get 2 in on the forecheck and force their guys to move the puck efficiently.

-Follow Coach Bylsma's philosophy: Coach believes that each series is going to 7 games. You can lose 3 times. In fact, you can play like complete trash 3 times if you win 4 games.

-Sidney who?: Don't get caught up in the distractions of whether Sid is going to play, what the plan is with him, what type of cereal he likes, etc. As Coach says, "it's not about who's not here, it's about who is in this room."

-Convert on the Power Play. This could be the difference.

-Capitalize on mistakes: The Lightning have less experience. Make them think instead of play.

-Watch Martin St. Louis At All Times: A lot of focus will be on other players, but St. Louis fits the mold of a "Penguin killer". He's slippery and knows how to score talented and garbage goals.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Despite missing the team's last 41 games, Sidney Crosby was the leading scorer with 66 points. From what I've heard, hat is the lowest team-leading point total since Dick Tarnstrom. I refuse to verify that for the sake of my sanity. Sid also lead the team with 10 Power Play Goals. SMH.

-Pens Power Play was 25th, with a 15.8% conversion rate.

-To win against the Pens, the Lighnting must:

-Be disciplined: Stay in their assigned spots in the 1-3-1 system. The Penguins believe in taking the attack to the other team. They are going to do that. Being overly aggressive won't help matters. Be where you're supposed to be.

-Keep it simple in the defensive zone: As mentioned, the Pens will look to be in the offensive zone a lot. When you get control of the puck, don't be fancy. Looking for the rush could put you in a bad situation. Make the simple pass or play off the wall to make sure the puck clears the zone.

-Avoid Turnovers: Turning the puck over can lead to extra chances in the defensive end or odd man rushes coming back. Execution with the puck is crucial against a team as aggressive as the Penguins.

-Bring Spucoli Back: Steven Stamkos only had 4 goals down the stretch. To move forward (and avoid extreme criticism) he will need to get back on the score sheet. He is a very talented player.

-Avoid Stirring Things Up: Take a page from the Detroit Red Wings. Don't go out of your way for scrums. The Penguins team is mid-level in terms of forward skill, but aggressive. Frustrate them by skating away after whistles early and often and you may find yourself on a few Power Plays.

-Be Cautious on the PP, Hack The Pens: The Pens had the #1 PK Unit and scored 13 shorthanded goals. Special teams can really swing a series. Until the Penguins prove otherwise, don't be afraid to take penalties when a good scoring chance presents itself. If they can't convert, it isn't penalizing you.

-Remember That This Is A 7 Game Series: The last year the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, they lost to Detroit in Game 5 in an ugly game (5-0). All hope appeared to be lost as it seemed history was going to repeat itself with the Red Wings up 3 games to 2 and possibly lifting the Cup after Game 6 on Civic Arena ice. Co-owner Mario Lemieux, who has known the agony of defeat and the glory of winning, proved once again why he is a legend in a text to GM Ray Shero:

"We are a family and in this together. We don't need anyone that is only with us WIN or TIE. I really think this is our year. Let's forget about tonight ... It happens. We will win Tuesday and win the Cup Friday."

I won't rehash it the rest of it, go here for the article. The point is, the 'Ning can't be discouraged, even if things seems bleak. A series doesn't end until one team wins 4 games. If they believe in themselves, anything can happen.

Forward Recaps:

-Maxime Talbot was the only forward to play in all 82 games.

-Mark Letestu finished with 14 goals.

-Mike Comrie scored the last goal of the regular season in to an empty net. He's worked hard to get back in to the lineup mix after his hip surgery and it was good to see the guys set him up and embrace him like that.

-Craig Adams lead the forwards with 64 blocked shots.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Ben Lovejoy had 3 assists against Atlanta, a career high.

-Kris Letang lead the team with 42 assists. He was also the only defenseman to play in all 82 games.

-The Pens theory on D is blocking shots. Zbynek Michalek 149, Paul Martin 129, Kris Letang 109, Brooks Orpik 94

Goalie Recaps:

-Marc-Andre Fleury appeared in 65 games, was 36-20-5, had a 2.32 GAA, .920 Save % and 3 shutouts.

-Brent Johnson appeared in 23 games, was 13-5-3, had a 2.17 GAA, .920 Save % and 1 shutout.

Recap: Games 76-79

photo courtesy of @pghpenguins

Games: vs. FLA (W 2-1 SO), vs. PHI (L 5-2), @ TB (L 2-1), @ FLA (W 4-2)

Notable Highlights:

-4 of 8 possible points. Nothing that impressive in the wins. Team hit the 100 point mark for the 7th time in Franchise history. If the Penguins win their 3 remaining games, they are the #4 seed. If not, Tampa Bay has to win all of their remaining 4 games to have a chance to pass the Penguins in the standings. There are 3 games left in the season! Expect my next update to be pretty light and mainly stats and any big news since I will be in Nashville for 2 of the last 3. I will be seeing the Preds and Blue Jackets there though, so rest assured I'll be thinking hockey even when I'm away from the Pens.

-Good to see RW Alexei Kovalev get a goal on a 2-on-1 against Philly (16). He has been struggling in a lot of facets of the game to put it politely. He's here to score. When he's not doing that, he really isn't helping the team. On the Lovejoy goal against Florida (game 1), he had an assist. In the Tampa game, there was an assist and then he had a lousy penalty under 5 minutes left in a 2-1 game. That penalty was pretty much a disgrace. A vet should know better.

-Sid was able to fly with the team to Miami for the 2nd Florida game. He will be skating with the team at times, working on dry land sometimes, and at other times only skating by himself. "Symptom free" continues to be a good thing. He will not return during the regular season, if at all this season. You can view the Ray Shero press conference on the matter here.

-C Mark Letestu returned to the lineup against Philly. He had an assist and 14:12 TOI.

-That crazy D Zbynek Michalek must have been playin' 'possum all year. He scored his 4th goal of the season against Florida (game 2). It was the GWG.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-As excited as I was in the last segment with the Philly win, I was even more disappointed with the loss to them in this one. 2 points behind the Flyers. Game in your building. Win and your are tied and anything can happen, including winning the conference. 13 shots after 2 periods. 5-2 letdown. This is why I think the Flyers are the team to beat in the East.

-The 1st Florida game wasn't exactly a treat to watch either. Very slow pace of play. It was like the guys were playing down to the Panthers' level. Zzzzzzzzz.

-FSN (now Root) provided the fact that the Pens have not won this season when trailing after 2 periods. Remember early in the season when I bemoaned the loss of identity and goal scoring? I do. The team of the past 3 season always seemed capable of a comeback. It all can't be blamed on missing Sid and Malkin either, that's excuse making at its finest. There are still plenty of guys on the team. The problem is too much grit, not enough goal scoring. Remember folks, hits aren't goals.

-On LW Ville Leino's 2nd goal (Philly), both D's Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek were on the red line or behind it. It was poor positioning and Leino took advantage by getting open for the pass from the end wall area.

-A lot was made about Tampa's 1-3-1 system. This means that they send 1 player in on the forecheck and as the attack comes back to center, 3 players stretch across the ice to make gaining the zone tough. The other player remains back near the defensive zone. To beat this style of play, it takes short, precise passes, hustle, and patience. In the past, the Penguins typically have shown that they want to "play their game" which can work but it can also flop against this style of trap. Those Penguins teams were a lot more skilled than this one though, so maybe all the grit can come in handy in the 1st round of the playoffs.

-Typically, I organize my thoughts for this nonsense in a little notebook and back track through it all and jump around until I feel that I've completed something worth reading. I've done that this point, yet I"m still writing! Why!? Because of my guest blogger's column about Marc-Andre Fleury and the MVP (Hart Trophy). I didn't really want to talk awards, but I want to be clear that I do not view Fleury's performance this season to be MVP-worthy. Balderdash you say? If I had a vote, it would go to Boston G Tim Thomas. He has a .939 save percentage and a 1.98 goals against average and 33 wins. Fleury's save percentage is .918 and goal against average is 2.32, with 34 wins. Boston leads the league in 5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio, so yes they do score more goals. It is very rare that a goalie even gets mentioned in the Hart discussion, so I think you need to be out of this world in all categories to get to the final 3. Thomas has done that.

photo courtesy of bvintagegoaliemaskdiscussionpage.runboard

If I was filling out a final 3 for the Hart, it would be Thomas, Anaheim's Corey Perry, and Vancouver's Daniel Sedin. Spucoli Stamkos fell off my list because he has hit a real slump down the stretch. Perry passed him for the "Rocket" Richard Trophy (most goals). Special mention does go out to Chicago's Jonathan Toews. A few weeks back I literally scoffed out loud at the idea, but then I did the research at the nudging of a friend with a Chicago bias. When I'm wrong, I"m wrong...I could see Toews being worthy of being a finalist based on my criteria. I still don't think he should win, but the argument was that he deserved to be a candidate.

Also, according to FSN's Bob Errey, D Kris Letang has 0 goals in his past 20 games. Remember when there was talk of him as a Norris Trophy (best defenseman) candidate? Seems like a lifetime ago. Where has Tang been!? Norris Trophy caliber guys are made up of more than racking up points because Sidney Crosby is on the ice.

Forward Recaps:

-Craig Adams was sporting a new haircut (shown at the top) for no real reason prior to the 2nd Florida game. He cashed in with an empty netter at the end for his 4th of the season. It will be interesting to see if the team goes with a mohawk theme for the playoffs instead of beards (not likely, but possible). Can't say that I think Sid or MAF would look very good that way, but that's the fun of team unity.

-Tyler Kennedy scored his 19th against the Flyers and his 20th against the Florida. Congrats to him for hitting the 20 goal mark for the 1st time in his career! He also has a career high in points.

-Mike Rupp scored his 7th goal of the season against Tampa Bay. Pascal Dupuis got his 14th against Florida (game 2). Give all the credit on the Dupuis goal to Chris Conner. He did some real work down low to set it up.

-James Neal had a very encouraging shift against the Lightning where he showed a burst of the power forward we all hope he will be. He went right at D Victor Hedman and Eric Brewer 1-on-2, tried to cut between them and nearly pulled it off.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Ben Lovejoy scored a beautiful goal against the Panters in the 1st game of this segment for his 3rd of the season. He put the puck up high over G Tomas Vokoun's shoulder. Coach Bylsma even joked that it must have been an "out of body experience" because he didn't think Ben could make that shot. Keep your eye on Benny in the playoffs though. While he's playing with exceptionally high confidence now, the NHL Playoffs can take that away real quick. It's a different game, and this will be his first time in a 7 game series.

-Proving that I'm not right all the time (shocking huh?), Matt Niskanen was the 6th defenseman instead of Deryk Engelland for each game of this stretch. I'm not in favor of the move. At the very least, I think the guys should alternate time. One thing in Coach Bylsma's defense on the decision, is that he may feel Nisky needs time to get comfortable and sitting out won't accomplish that.

Goalie Recaps:

-Marc-Andre Fleury was exceptional against the Panthers (game 1), stopping 37 pucks and all shootout attempts. He looked very bad against Philly, with 19 saves and 5 goals against. he was so-so against Tampa with 22 saves, but was outshined by 'Ning G Dwayne Roloson's 36 saves and let in a cruddy goal to Marty St. Louis.

-Brent Johnson played against Florida (game 2), getting the win and stopped 28 shots.

-Brad Thiessen was returned to Wilkes-Barre Scranton. He did not see game action during his time up.

Opponents:

-Florida

-Bizarre moment for the Panthers in the 1st game of this set. G Tomas Vokoun was forced to leave prior to the OT due to injury. G Scott Clemmensen had to come in for the OT and shootout. Tough situation for him to be put in to. He did the best he could with it.

-Clemmensen made 30 saves in the loss of game 2.

-Philadelphia

-D Kimmo Timonen was caught pinching the wall in the neutral zone a bit too hard twice in this game, leading to both Penguins goals. He'll likely take the blame for both of them, but on the Kovalev goal, RW Jeff Carter went to the bench when it appeared the puck was going to go deeper. Since it didn't and shifted back to the Flyers end, it left them in a bad spot.

-Carter scored his 35th goal of the season.

-RW Claude Giroux scored his 25th of the season with a real nice shot from the slot. As of that moment, he lead the Flyers with 71 points. He also has 5 goals against the Pens this season.

-LW Ville Leino scored 2 goals (18, 19).

-Tampa Bay

-I didn't fully hear the stat provided by FSN's (now Root's) Paul Steigerwald, so if this is wrong I apologize. Nearly certain he said that Steven Stamkos (aka Spucoli) had 4 goals in his past 24 games. That will take you out of the Hart Trophy discussion real quick.

-LW and Upper St. Clair's own Ryan Malone returned from injury. He missed 21 games. It is of note that he wears #6 this season, having given the #12 to new teammate LW Simon Gagne.

-RW Martin St. Louis scored his 30th goal of the season.

-The win clinched a playoff birth for the 'Ning. While I may have missed on a few teams in or out of the playoffs, I'm pretty proud that I had them making it in my Eastern Conference previews. Go ahead. Look it up. I'll wait here.

Recap: Games 41-43

Games: vs. TB (W 8-1),  @ MON (L 2-1 SO), vs. MIN (L 4-0)

Notable Highlights:

-I"ll stick to what I've said previously, that if you get a point a game at least, even in times of turmoil, you are still on pace. 3 of 6 possible points, but the positives are few and far between right now. I personally reminded many Pens fans to not get ahead of themselves after the Tampa game, and this is exactly what I meant. There are a ton of games left. There will will be plenty of good and bad. Let's keep our eyes on what matters most, the playoffs.

-PK killed 12 of 12 chances including two 5-on-3s in this stretch.

Ghastly Lowlights:

-Sidney Crosby has a concussion. It is unknown when he got it. Some have suggested it was the David Steckel hit in the Winter Classic, then when Tampa Bay's D Victor Hedman boarded him, it just exasperated damage that was already done. There's a lot to say about this, so let's get right to it.

-If you yawned in apathy when Boston's Marc Savard was injured by a blatant headshot from Matt Cooke, you should probably just bow out of the Crosby head shot(s) debate. Neither Steckel, nor Hedman's hits were as egregious as that hit was. Both of these hits should be reviewed, but I will not go so far as to say either intended injury to Crosby. I will come back to a recurring point I've been making, guys have to be in control of their non-puck actions. Hedman hit Sid from behind (though not especially violently), and slightly left his skates. Steckel just skated through Sid. If you're going to flail your arms about these hits, be consistent. Even scarier for me, is the thought that Sid could make his return 1/15 in Boston. So, our star player is going to return from nursing a head injury against a team that has plenty of reason to exract revenge...how could that go wrong?

-It's also been discussed that there could possibly have been some error on the part of the Penguins Medical Staff. Why did Sid fly? How did they miss it? Were they trying to sneak an injury by and keep him playing? I am not about to take that leap. If he wasn't showing full blown symptoms or failing tests, I don't see what could have been done. The Pensblog has screenshots of a testy exchange between one of their guys and TSN's Darren Dregger. Dregger indicates his sources tell him that Sid was indeed injured on the Steckel hit. I trust Dregger and his assement of any situation. I probably trust him more than any hockey analyst to be truthful. There is a reason his Twitter feed is linked on this website...I respect what he does. This medical issue debate isn't likely to go away, but I'm going to respectfully bow out. I can pretend to know what I'm talking about in terms of hockey all day long, but the field of medicine is another story altogether.

-Lastly, what, if any punishment will be there be for both of these players. What punishment is deserved? The Cooke hit changed the rules, so I won't say "he wasn't suspended for what he did". But, one thing to consider, many will say, is the degree of intent. Matt Cooke knew what he was doing. I'm not going to make apologies for that. I love Cookie, but he's a vet and when he went at Savard, there was intent to harm. Not to ruin his life, but at the speed of the game, there is a fine line between intent and result. As I said, Steckel appears to have skated through Crosby. Hedman's main sins are that it was from behind and he left his feet to make contact with the head, which in turn causes contact of the head to the glass. Intent on both was minimal at worst, but as I've said time and time again, when you are dealing with situations that can literally end a players career, there has to be responsibility regardless of intent. I hope the NHL suspends any player that deals blows to another player's head, even if the offending player wears a skating Penguin on his sweater.

-Add two more 5-on-3s. Still taking too many penalties overall. Much of the 3rd period against Montreal was spent shorthanded. If this trend continues in to mid-to-late February, I will be very concerned.

-The Penguins continue to struggle against teams with a trap. In the Wild's case, they seemed to play a hybrid 1-2-2/1-4, meaning that one forechecker goes towards the attack, with two forwards protecting the area around the red line. The hybrid aspect comes in to play with these forwards drifting back towards their blue line at times, which in essence lines them up across the blue line with their Dmen to create a 1-4. Lately, the Penguins have been trying to use long slapshot passes to stretch the ice. This doesn't work against the trap. In the past it caused problems agains the Red Wings, recently it has popped up with the Islanders, and we will likely see a hearty does of it with two games in the upcoming week against Boston. I don't believe the team makes adjustments against the trap as much as they should. There is a tendency to continue to play their game. Personally, I hate the trap and would rather it be abolished. While it's here, the Pens will need to keep it as simple as possible in order to beat it.

Forward Recaps:

-Arron Asham had a goal in the Montreal game. He has kept himself out of bad penalty situations for the most part. At the time of the signing, I wasn't sure what he added to the team. While I still have my concerns about the roster makeup, I admit being wrong about Asham.

-Evgeni Malkin is under a microscope with the absence of Sid. He keeps showing signs of returning to the player we want him to be. The goal 7 seconds in against Tampa is a great example of him being determined, and executing well. But then there are games like he had against the Wild. -3 rating, no offense to speak of. In the past there has been talk of trading him. Even though a potential return would no doubt diminish by the day, I'm afraid that his inconsistent play will keep his name in the rumors as the trade deadline approaches. While I don't think he'd be dealt in season, I'd rather him just play his name right back off the list as players that can be considered expendable.

-Tyler Kennedy has been getting a lot of criticism from the fan base for not scoring many goals, and going in to extended slumps. While I would agree that those are a concern, the severity of the importance of such things depends largely on his role. In a top 6 role with Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin, it is a huge concern. But to be frank, I don't think Kennedy is a top 6 guy much in the same way that I don't believe Mark Letestu is one. If Kennedy is in a role with guys like Letestu and Chris Conner (each scored again the 'Ning), then scoring goals takes on a supplementary importance. You want puck control, tempo, and physicality out of guys like that. Think of Kennedy as a slightly more polished Craig Adams. Maybe he will only score once in a blue moon, but the things he does night in and night out within his role may cause you to be able to live with that.

Defenseman Recaps:

-Alex Goligoski continues an up and down stretch. He scored his 7th goal of the season against the 'Ning, but looked like he had a hole in his stick against the Wild. Gogo's name has been mentioned in trade rumors of late, most prominently with Columbus. While these are likely just rumors, if you check the archives here you'll see that I felt Letang or Goligoski were the most likely to be dealt as we head in to this season. Letang is an untouchable at this point because of his play (though he looked poor against the Wild too). Gogo hasn't quite blossomed that way, so look for the potential of him being dealt for a scoring forward near the end of February. I don't want to see him go, but if he does, figure Ben Lovejoy is capable, and eventually Simon Despres will be in the lineup as well. It isn't as if we don't have a glut of good puck-movers on the blue line.

Goalie Recaps:

-Mark-Andre Fleury had about the same number of saves in both games he played, 31 vs Tampa, 33 against Minnesota. The results were different though, with the saves in the 8-1 rout largely unnecessary, and the saves against the Wild just not enough. The Wild game was not strong for Fleury, but the team also often was caught in the counter-attack of the Wild's trap. Need a stronger effort though in those grind 'em out games. It won't always be 8-1 laughers.

-Brent Johnson had 22 saves and looked sharp in the 2-1 shootout loss to the Canadiens.

Opponents:


-Tampa Bay

-F Steven Stamkos had a problem with his skate blade when he fell during the penalty shot according to the Lightning front office. Even if he didn't, he still bears a striking resemblance to Spucoli from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High".

-Only goal of the night was scored by former-Pen Adam Hall.

-Rough night for the goalies. We saw both Dwayne Roloson (acquired from the Islanders recently) and Dan Ellis.

-Montreal

-Benoit Pouliot borrowed a page from Peter Forsberg's guide to shootouts for the wining goal.

-G Carey Price has heard some criticism of late, but overall he is doing well for the Habs. They have 3 more points than the Blues (where Jaro Halak was traded) and as a team have allowed 9 less goals. The only thing their fans care about is the playoffs, and trying to be the first Canadian team to lift the Cup since they did it following the 1992-93 season.

-Minnesota

-F Cal Clutterbuck scored his 13th goal of the season. Good output for one of the league's fiestiest hitters.

-G Jose Theodore had a shutout, the 1st at Consol Energy Center.

Pourquoi y a-t-il de l'hockey dans les sud encore? or Why is there hockey in the South again?

In the event that anybody ever reads this blog (unlikely), or we have any readers from Canada (highly unlikely), I would like to apologize to them for the sins of the NHL father. On Saturday, October 2nd, over 60,000 fans gathered in some area of Quebec City called the Plains of Abraham to show their support, nay, their demand that local authorities spend nearly $400 million to produce and NHL ready arena with the intention of returning hockey to its rightful home.

I'm sorry. What am I sorry for? Being an American hockey fan, that's what. Somewhere along the lines in the 1990s, the NHL braintrust felt it was a good idea to throw caution to the wind and expand in to the Sun Belt and relocate teams from supportive markets (hockey's version of drill baby, drill).

Teams spouted up in San Jose, Anaheim, Dallas (via relocation), Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Phoenix (also via relocation), and the gravest of errors Raleigh (good night sweet Whalers). The other night I was watching the NHL Network, and there were two giant X's on the Sharks ice. It honestly took a minute for the realization that it was to commemorate the 20th season in Sharks history. After I finished crying over where my life went, I was looking for an excuse to get my point of view out there. Sure, I have a medicore (at best...) blog, and I'm the type of narcissist to think my thoughts on this subject matter...but where was the convenient excuse?

Enter the rally in Quebec City. They lost their team years ago to Denver. It really had to be horrible to watch them raise the Cup years later with the core of their players still intact. Fans in Harford have felt the same horror, and Winnipeg has to feel worse than any of them because nobody in Phoenix seems to a) care about or b) be able to afford supporting the former Jets.

It is my hope and belief that the NHL will eventually come to their senses. The  experiment has gone alright in certain markets, and I'll concede its gone well enough to continue. San Jose has done well. Cities like Tampa, Dallas, Anaheim, and Raleigh (under protest) get a pass from me because they have lifted a Cup. I give this pass to them because at some point I'm sure many felt Pittsburgh wasn't worth having a hockey team, but I know first hand what seeing the Cup raised did for people in my age group and all those after it.

With that being said, that leaves Atlanta, Phoenix, and Florida as teams that probably should start the treck north. Florida could go to Quebec City, Winnipeg obviously has the right of first refusal on Phoenix, and Hamilton can have Atlanta. I think that would be pretty satisfying for everyone involved and while I take no pleasure in taking another city's team away from them, it seems likely that nobody in those areas would notice anyway. Now if we could just find a team for Hartford, and keep Kansas City distracted long enough to get them there....

2010-11 Preview: Tampa Bay Lightning

2010-11 Prediction 7th Eastern Conference

Bold predictions that nobody will ever call you out on: one of the founding principles of the internet, and here at Shootin' the Puck we subscribe to this theory. With that being typed, I give you the 2010-11 Lightning. I believe this team will make the playoffs. No really. While it may be a bit of a stretch, I think all the right pieces are there and the off the ice stuff has taken a turn for the better. The ownership situation has settled. Former Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman helped assemble a triumphant Canadian Olympic squad and is now in charge of getting the roster in shape and hiring the coaching staff. Guy Boucher has been selected as Stevie Y's first coach. I won't pretend to know a lot about this guy, but I have faith in Yzerman's knowledge of what it takes to build and preserve a winner. On the ice, vets like RW Martin St. Louis, C Vincent Lecavalier, and newcomer LW Simon Gagne are all very capable of changing a game. I look for LW Ryan Malone's role to blossom with a new coaching staff and the occasional tip from Yzerman. D Victor Hedman had a decent first season and figures to get only better and is joined by Mattias Ohlund, and Pavel Kubina. G's Dan Ellis and Mike Smith are the definite question marks for this team, but with regular playing time either of these guys could catch lighnting in a bottle (pun intended).  It's entirely possible that the 'ning could fall short of the playoffs, but for my money if C Steven Stamkos continues to emerge into a world class talent that points goals on the board, this team will have a strong chance.

Player to Watch: C Steven Stamkos