Recap: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Vancouver Canucks (W 4-3 SO) ; @ Calgary Flames (W 5-3); @ Edmonton Oilers (L 2-1 SO)

photo: Kris Letang (AP)

Forwards:

-For all the fury directed at Matt Cooke at the end of last season and in this offseason (by myself too), he avoided any incidents and was a positive contributor to the team. Against the Canucks he lead the way with a PPG and a SHG.

-Evgeni Malkin looked very strong in the legs against Vancouver, even if he was "trying too hard" as everyone seems to say. In that game, he scored the shootout winning goal.  Bad penalties seems to be an early theme for him, including a really bad elbowing penalty against Calgary. He also got a bit fiesty with Curtis Glencross, dropping the gloves, landing a few shots, and having his untied jersey pulled over his head. Al this happened with a linesman jumping in between them very quickly so instead of him being kicked out for the failure to tie his jersey down, he was only assessed a roughing minor. He did not play the third period of that game or against Edmonton, seeming to having some type of leg injury. Coach Bylsma said that this is not realted to the surgery he had (that doesn't mean it isn't a knee though), and the general opinion is that it will not be a long term injury. The Tribune Review's Dejan Kovacevic indicated that he was told the injury could be traced to a slew-foot incident with Curtis Glencross. In between all of that, Malkin also had a PPG.

-James Neal looked great against the Canucks, though there was one instance where he had the puck at the back of the slot and chose to pass it.

-Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis have been playing well, but so far do not have a goal to show for it.

-Mark Letestu has not looked particularly inspired. I am not really feeling his game, but the coaches seem to love him. I thought Richard Park could get in at his expense, but it did not really play out that way since Malkin and Arron Asham were scratched against Edmonton.

-New brawler Steve MacIntyre suited up against his old team, the Oilers.

Defensemen:

-Cannot say enough positive things about the play of fan favorite/dreamboat Kris Letang. Against the Oilers he logged nearly 30 minutes on ice! He is currently leading the team in points and has been everything you hope he can consistently be. The challenge for Tang will be lasting in to the 2nd half of the season at such a high level.

-Let's give credit to the end of last season's frequent whipping-boy, Matt Niskanen. He played  a really good game against the Flames and knocked in a PPG. There was also a goal scored with him and Ben Lovejoy taking the guys without the puck in that game. It was the right move. They left the guy with the puck (Alex Tanguay) for Marc-Andre Fleury. He made a great shot-pass that Rene Borque directed in to the net. While Niskanen and Lovejoy did not execute, the choice was right.

-Ben Lovejoy looked pretty good when he was matched up against Taylor Hall one on one. He had a really nice hit on him as well.

-Brooks Orpik has not played yet this season since he is still recovering from off-season abdominal surgery.

Goalies:

-Hate to start it before the team has lost in regulation, but Marc-Andre Fleury gave up two flub goals against Vancouver and Calgary. In the end, it didn't cost the team so this is not a call for him to be benched or traded or anything crazy like that. But the fact remains that the team probably would have had a lot less to worry about if these two softies were not let in.

-Brent Johnson played 55 superb minutes against Edmonton. The youthful Oilers managed to knock one by Johnnie to take it to OT. BJ probably deserved a better fate in this game, but them's the breaks as they say.

Ups:

-You have to be excited about getting the Western Canada trip out of the way early, but especially when it produces 5 points.

-The team looks like it did not miss a beat with their forecheck and forward activity. Great pressue on the puck and excellent cycling from multiple guys.

Downs:

-Overall, an area of concern going forward will be the team's play with leads. They lead in each of these 3 games. Getting 5 out of 6 points shows that they were able to pull 2 of the 3 games out, but each of these games  were closer than they needed to be. Each game saw the opponent mount some type of comeback spurred by 3rd period goal.

-I really would like to spend less time this season harping on the Power Play. Really. After two great games though, the PP failed big time when it counted against the Oilers. They had a 5 minute major to work with under 5 minutes left in the third. Even if the PP is clicking at a 75% rate, if they can't score a goal when it's really needed then the Penguins will be a worse team because of it. Situational hockey is what's important, not the overall numbers. With any luck, the team will be closer to the first two games.

-There were definitely some defensive lapses here and there, especially noticable during the Canuck game (Keith Ballard goal especially).  Don't take that to mean that its on the defensemen, depending on who is responsible for certain players it could also be forwards. That kind of thing should get worked out as the season moves along though.

Vancouver Canucks

Photo: Roberto Luongo (AP)

-Roberto Luongo did not have a particularly good game, letting in some shaky goals That certainly is not what he or the Canucks fans wanted. You almost have to feel bad for him at this point...almost.

-Daniel Sedin scored his 1st goal of the season, a pretty nice one too.

-Henrik Sedin had 2 assists.

Calgary Flames

Photo: Jarome Iginla (AP)

-Curtis Glencross had a goal and an altercation with Evgeni Malkin.

-Olli Jokinen scored a goal courtesy of a Marc-Andre Fleury whiff on a puck behind the net.

-Miikka Kiprusoff had 32 saves for the Flames.

Edmonton Oilers

Photo: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (AP)

-Ladislav Smid seemed to be everywhere for the Oilers in the defensive zone. He took a beating to the lower legs and knees on his blocks. Credit to him for having the deciation to do that in October.

-2011 #1 Overall Draft Pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his 1st NHL goal.

-Taylor Hall had an assist on the Nugent-Hopkins goal. He also looked great in his first game since missing

-Devan Dubnyk stopped 33 of the Penguins shots in the win.

2011-2012 Season "Preview*"

Welcome back my friends to the blog that never ends (except for the summer). It was an awful offseason for the hockey family. We lost Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien, Wade Belak, and the entire team and staff of Yaroslavl Lokomotiv from the KHL. I dedicate this innaugural post of the 2011-2012 season to each of their memories. Hockey has often been an escape for me, and I'm sure many other people feel that way as well. Each of those gone will be remembered for the memories they created on the ice. My sincerest condolences to those closest to these deaths.

With that said, we move forward to what will hopefully be another great season on the ice. Last season did not end anywhere close to how Pens fans would have liked, but that did not make the playoffs any less incredible. The action was intense from the start of the playoffs until the last fire was extinguished in Vancouver. After the smoke cleared (literally), the Boston Bruins and former Penguin Mark Recchi were the Stanley Cup Champions.

Locally, the season was filled with incredible highs with the opening of the Consol Energy Center and a Winter Classic that all the rain in the world couldn't dampen. Unfortunately, shortly after the Winter Classic we got a big dose of lows with injuries to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and just about anyone else that could wear a Pens sweater and skate backwards.

If you know what a hockey puck is, chances are you know about the Sid saga...I won't be recapping that here. All you need to know if that the team is back and looking good and Sid will be at some point as well. I decided against doing team previews this year because there are plenty of great ones out there (go to Puck Daddy or The Pensblog for example) and I am too excited for the puck to drop to comb over the offseason.

We'll cover the minute details here from here on out, so if you keep coming back there will be more content than a season preview every could give you.

The Penguins start the season in Vancouver Thursday, October 6th. My personal excitement level is immeasurable and I just have one question for you...

I will be attempting to Tweet during most Penguins games. You can check that out @shootinthepuck but there MAY be some strong language.

Special thanks to Shaquille O'Neal for being awesome enough to be Shaq. Even though this is a hockey blog, he will be missed beyond words (he retired if you do not follow basketball).

*"Preview" should not be not taken literally. The term is used only to avoid litigation from the hockey bloggers guild.

Pittsburgh Penguins release official statement on Sidney Crosby's concussion progress

Head over to Bleacher Report for my take on the official statement on Sidney Crosby's concussion progress. If you still check this blog, stay tuned. Starting in September, we will ramp it back up again for my mildly popular brand of Penguins analysis. Try to contain yourselves...

Sticking with the Program

Today's sports fan is afforded a mind-boggling array of information and tools to get news, stats, and deliver their opinion (like this blog!). With broadband internet and specialized channels, like NHL Network, hockey die-hards can devote more attention to the game we love. Its great most of the time, but this instant access also brings expectations of rapid gratification. Fans always want the player, coach, or prospect that may push them to the next level (whether it be just being respectable to competing/winning a tittle annually). Right now, the Pens are in the latter category. We feel (rightfully so) that we should win it all or be in the mix annually. Every year, free agency comes along and all have our eyes on the player(s) that will push us over into another level.

Just like about 99% of Pens fans, I would consider losing out on Jagr the way we did to be upsetting, disguising, etc. If you were to go back to last evening and lets hypothetically say you met some time traveling person (?) that said to you "I went a day into the future and Jagr fucked the Pens and signed with PHILLY! Knowing this information, would you still want him on the Pens team this season?" My response, without hesitation, is yes. Although he is slowing down, Jagr is still a first-ballot hall-of-fame legend. Yes, he is a petulant mercenary prick. Yes, he would be a pain in the ass. But the facts are (1) its all about winning, and (2) do you really think a cup-champion locker room is going to be intimated by a fading legend? I say no. But this talk is all mental masturbation anyhow. Hes gone, along with any hope of repairing his hockey legacy in Pittsburgh. I know I'll still tell tales of Jagr's sub-human feats to newer generations of Pens fans (the torn groin epic Game 6 vs NJ, the game I saw him score a natural hat trick in the first 8 minutes of the game) along with the other side (which we got a good slice of today). He's not "dead to me"...he's just a bad human being that is an excellent hockey player.

So what is the expectation now that we lost out on Jagr? That Ray Shero goes out and makes some type of big splash and gets a big name in free agency. Similar to how the jolted lover goes and gets laid to "rebound". But what I am learning is that this is not the Penguins style...from ownership down to the players. There is no panic, there is no compromising the plan. Now, I realize this sounds hokey..."the plan". All teams have a plan, right? Yes. However, actually carrying on and seeing that plan through is harder said than done. Stop and think for a bit. Think about the franchises that are a success every single year (save for a bad season or two here and there). The Steelers, The Red Wings, The Packers (off the top of my head). These teams generally operate their entire organization, top to bottom, in a way that simply breeds success. They carry on the plan. Its why the Steelers always seem to pull star LB's out of nowhere, its why the Wings find project players and develop them into the Henrik Zetterberg's of the NHL. They are smart enough to know who the cornerstones are and realize those players make those around them better. How many average defenseman has Lidstrom helped mold into good ones?

This is what the Penguins seem to be after. So we lost out on Jagr? What does the organization do? Goes out and signs Steve Sullivan to a fair deal. The Pens didn't go up against the cap overpaying for potentially good players that would probably underachieve. They went out and got a player that fits our system. Is he an injury risk? Big time. Can he still score goals? We'll see...I think he has a better chance to do that with Sid or Geno than David Legwand, don't you? They went out and got a winner in every sense of the word. You have to be a winner to be 5'9 and be a good NHL player. You have to be a winner to overcome major back issues and win the Masterson Trophy for perseverance and commitment to the sport. Winners WIN CUPS. Sullivan doesn't have his yet. Don't you think he'd skate through a brick wall to get it this spring, if his body allows it? In short, we got a Penguin. A guy that fits.

Also, Shero left the Pens with wiggle room to bring someone on board during the season or at the trade deadline should we have a rash of injuries, or the worst case scenario, Sid is not okay. Its inevitable that some team that needed its instant gratification for its fans and its owners will not do well. This team will then look to shed that error to a contender....enter Ray Shero.

I'm proud the Pens are following the plan. If you aren't...perhaps consider when Eddie O. was basically letting the team play shinny and Craig Patrick was doing nothing about it. That organization would have offered some of those ridiculous contracts you saw today. Stick. With. The. Plan.

2 Penguins Draft Recap Pieces over at BleacherReport.com

Again, as we kill time until we have some games...head over to BleacherReport.com for a piece I did on 1st round pick Joe Morrow and a brief recap of all 5 draft picks. Man, I can't wait for the season to start again. Literally chomping at the bit.

NHL Draft: 7 picks the Pens Would Love to Have in the 1st Round

Head over to bleacher report to see the piece on 7 picks the Penguins would love to nab in the 1st round. Can't wait to have games start again...I miss breaking it down.

Free Agency: 12 Guys the Pens Should Target

I did an article over at bleacherreport.com about the Penguins potential shopping list. Hope this tides you over until some real Penguins news hits.