Nov 20 2009
The march of the Penguins to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton continues. Defenseman Nate Guenin (above) was demoted to the AHL today.
Guenin appeared in the Penguins' past two games recording no points and was a minus-2. In 15 AHL games this season, he has also failed to record a point.
EN Says: This all but guarantees Brooks Orpik's return to the lineup tomorrow unless he gets attacked by feral cats or something.
(Photo: Jay LaPrete/Associated Press)
Nov 20 2009
Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik (above) expects to return to the lineup tomorrow in Atlanta. He has missed four games after suffering an apparent knee injury in a 3-0 loss at Boston, Nov. 10. Orpik did suffer a facial cut in practiced today.
With Orpik apparently healthy, the team demoted defenseman Chris Lee to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Lee's time with the NHL Penguin was brief. He was called up yesterday prior to the game in Ottawa.
EN Says: We fully expect to hear news next of Mark Eaton getting food poisoning at a Shoney's.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Nov 20 2009
Penguins
-Dave Molinari's recap of last night's game. The first 69 seconds of the game were pretty good for the Penguins.
-The Ottawa Citizen's recap. Ottawa's Chris Phillips stood out in his 800th career game.
-The Associated Press' recap. "Right after the power play's over within a 30-second span we're down 3-1 and they had the momentum at that point." - Dan Bylsma on Chris Kelly's third period goal.
-Highlights (so to speak):
-The Eric Godard-Chris Neil fight (above) deserves its own post:
-Mike Lange's goal calls.
-The Senators' line of Mike Fisher, Nick Foligno and Alex Kovalev was dominant.
-Kovalev left immediately after the game to address to the death of his mother-in-law.
-The Ottawa Citizen has a solid photo gallery of last night's game.
-The Senators were 2,114 tickets short of a sell-out last night.
-Maxime Talbot and Dan Potash:
-When might Brooks Orpik come back?
-The Penguins need to do more pilates 'n at.
-Can Mellon Arena be saved?
-James Mirtle updates the total man games lost to injuries list. Prior to last night, the Penguins still had the fifth-most games lost.
-Was Game 5 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Final the greatest game this decade?
-John Curry made 28 saves for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in a 5-3 road loss to the Hartford Wolfpack.
-The Wheeling Nailers acquired defenseman Kyle Bushee from the Johnstown Chiefs in exchange for future considerations.
-Happy 52nd birthday to former Penguins forward Tom Roulston. A member of the dreadful 1983-84 Penguins, Roulston scored 28 points in 53 games that season.
Atlantic Division
-Devils forward Dainius Zubrus suffered a right leg injury last night.
-The Devils activated forward Dean McAmmon (nose) from injured reserve and recalled forward Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond ("upper body") on injured reserve.
Northeast Division
-A shootout goal by Patrice Bergergon (above) gave the Bruins a 4-3 win at Atlanta. Michael Ryder led Boston with two goals while teammate Dennis Wideman added two assists. Tuukka Rask made 32 saves in the win. Ilya Kovalchuk led Atlanta with a goal and two assists.
-Happy times for Rask:
-Happy times for Atlanta's Maxim Afinogenov:
-Bruins forward Milan Lucic returned to the lineup for the first time since suffering a broken finger Oct. 16.
-Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas is dealing with a minor undisclosed injury.
-The Canadiens demoted forward Gregory Stewart to Hamilton of the AHL for conditioning purposes.
-Maple Leafs overlord Brian Burke pretty much put his players on notice after a poor loss last night in Carolina.
-Former Maple Leafs and Penguins forward Gary Roberts accused the Maple Leafs of riding the stationary bike too much. In overnight news, the province of Ontario banned stationary bikes immediately.
Southeast Division
-Shootout goals by Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen gave the Hurricanes a 6-5 win against the Maple Leafs. Ruutu had four assists while teammate Tim Gleason scored two goals. Matt Cullen (above) added a goal and an assist for Carolina which tied the game up with 2.9 seconds left in regulation. Alexei Ponikarovsky led Toronto with a goal and an assist.
-Cole's goal:
-Check out this goal by Toronto's Lee Stempniak:
-Cole got dumped pretty hard by Toronto's Ian White:
-Cool photo of the hit:
-The dreaded "intent to blow" rule struck again in Carolina:
-This game had all kinds of bad officiating. Check out this high stick call on White:
-Ruutu beating Toronto's Jonas Gustavsson:
-Toronto's Colton Orr going after Carolina's Andrew Alberts:
-Orr not caring for the glove of Carolina's Aaron Ward:
-Toronto's Lee Stempniak getting stoned by Carolina's Manny Legace:
-Toronto's Jason Blake being popular:
-Cool Photo of the Night: A fan of Carolina's Cam Ward:
-We don't want to say they have attednance problems in Carolina, but...:
-The Hurricanes put forward Eric Staal ("upper body") on injured reserve and goaltender Cam Ward (leg) on long-term injured reserve. Forward Patrick Dwyer was recalled from Albany of the AHL.
-The Capitals recalled defenseman John Carlson, a first-round pick in 2008, from Hershey of the AHL.
Central Division
-Shootout goals by Mike Santorelli and Martin Erat (above) gave the Predators a 3-2 win against the Devils who have lost two consecutive road games after starting the season 9-0-0 as visitors. Jason Arnott scored both of Nashville's regulations goals while teammate J.P. Dumont recorded assists on each of them. Pekka Rinne made 26 saves in the win. Zach Parise scored two goals for New Jersey.
-New Jersey's Travis Zajac scored a pretty fluky shootout goal:
-New Jersey's David Clarkson kept his eye on the puck here:
(Or Nashville's Dan Hamhuis.)
-Erik Johnson's overtime goal gave the Blues a 3-2 win against the Coyotes. T.J. Oshie and Keith Tkachuk each had a goal and an assist for St. Louis while Carlo Colaiacovo contributed two assists. Chris Mason made 34 saves in the win.
-Kristian Huselius had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets in a 4-1 win at Dallas. Teammate Fedor Tyutin added two assists while goaltender Steve Mason made 25 saves in the victory.
-Today's dangerous hit is brought to you by Dallas' James Neal on Columbus' Derek Dorsett:
-Neal is expected to have a disciplinary hearing over the phone concerning the hit today.
-Happy times for the Blue Jackets:
-Dallas' Krys Barch had some issues with Columbus' Jared Boll:
-Columbus' Raffi Torres didn't seem to appreciate this Dallas' fan:
-Columbus' Antoine Vermette attempted a behind the back re-direct on Dallas' Marty Turco:
-Vermette didn't exactly look comfortable between Dallas' Stephane Robidas and Nicklas Grossman:
-Two goals from Kris Versteeg helped the Blackhawks rout the Flames, 7-1. Duncan Keith recorded three assists while teammate Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist. Chicago, which extended a winning streak to five games, also got two assists each from Cam Barker, Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp. Cristobal Huet got the win by making 27 saves.
-Huet busted out the crazy eyes while trying to locate this puck:
-Chicago's Andrew Ladd gave some Elvis lip curl to celebrate a goal:
-The Blue Jackets activated forward Raffi Torres (face) from injured reserve.
-With forward Kirk Maltby and goaltender Chris Osgood recovered from
an illness, the Red Wings demoted goaltender Daniel Larsson to Grand Rapids of the AHL.
-The NHL sort of explained the "intent to blow" rule that cost Detroit's a Brad May a goal Wednesday against the Stars.
Northwest Division
-Oilers forward Mike Comrie is dealing with mono. Someone protect Hillary Duff.
-Wild forward Martin Havlat is dealing with a "lower-body" injury.
Pacific Division
-Scott Niedermayer's (above, center) overtime goal gave the Ducks a 4-3 win against the Lightning. Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne each had a goal and two assists for Anaheim while teammate Corey Perry contributed two assists. Jonas Hiller made 21 saves in the win which snapped a four-game losing streak. Steve Downie and former Penguin Ryan Malone each had two assists for Tampa Bay. Fire Ray Shero.
-Niedermayer's overtime goal was the 13th of his career, the most of any defenseman in NHL history.
-Niedermayer was named the first start of the game and attempted to give a stick away after the game. Then this unfolded:
-Check out this goal scored by Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos:
-Ducks defenseman Steve Eminger (back) and James Wisniewski (foot) are dinged up.
-The Ducks demoted former Penguins forward Erik Christensen to Manitoba of the AHL for conditioning purposes.
-The Stars placed forward Fabian Brunnstrom (shoulder) on injured reserve and recalled forward Warren Peters from Texas of the AHL.
-The Kings activated defenseman Alex Martinez (ankle) from injured reserve and demoted him to Manchester of the AHL.
Smythe Division
-Former Maple Leafs, Coytoes and Sabres goaltener Mikael Tellqvist joined Lukko in FInland.
(Photos: Godard-Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press; Bergeron, Rask and Afinogenov-Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images; Cullen, Ruutu, Blake, Alberts, Orr, Legace, Ward fan and Hurricanes "fans"-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Cole-Gerry Broome/Associated Press; Erat and Clarkson-Mark Humphrey/Associated Press; Blue Jackets, Boll, Turco and Vermette-Ronald Martinez/Getty Images; Torres-Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press; Huet and Ladd-Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press; Niedermayer-Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Nov 20 2009
"Mellon Arena Memories" is a semi-regular feature that will appear
in this forum from time to time during the remainder of the Penguins'
final season at Mellon Arena. We will attempt to interview several
individuals inside and outside the Penguins about the arena which
has served as the franchise's home facility since its inception.
Today's
subject is Andrew Ference.
Ference is currently a defenseman for the Boston Bruins. An eighth-round draft pick in 1997, Ference debuted with the Penguins in the 1999-2000 season. He spent four seasons, including the memorable 2000-01 campaign, in Pittsburgh. During the Penguins' playoff run in 2001, Ference contributed 10 points in 18 games.
Ference appeared in 75 in 2001-02 and was eventually traded to the Calgary Flames during the 2002-03 season. Ference would reach the Stanley Cup Final in 2004 with the Flames but fell short in seven games to the Lightning. He would spend parts of two more seasons in Calgary before being dealt to the Bruins in February of 2007. He has been with the Bruins ever since and has served as an alternate captain on the team.
Away from the ice, Ference is one of the most environmentally concious individuals in the NHL. He has worked with the NHLPA to encourage members to become carbon neutral. Additonally, he has been involved with Right to Play, an athlete-based international humanitarian organization.
First Memory of Civic/Mellon Arena:
"I scored my first goal of my career here against Nashville here. "
(NOTE: Ference's goal came just over a decade ago in a 6-2 blowout of the Predators, Nov. 13, 1999. Jaromir Jagr and Kip Miller had the assists.)
Favorite Memory of Civic/Mellon Arena:
"The playoff run we had with (Johan) Hedberg when we went to the semifinals against New Jersey. I got to see it when it was rocking pretty good."
Favorite game at Civic/Mellon Arena:
"From that playoffs, the game against Buffalo. The puck fell down from what seemed like 50 feet in the air and landed right on Mario’s tape beside the net. He was able to tie up and we won in overtime. That game alone really stands out. I got to play to play with Rhett Warrener (in Calgary). He was on the ice for Buffalo. He remembers that real well too. The excitement of that first run my first taste of playoff hockey. It was incredible."
On the 2000-01 season and Mario Lemieux's comeback:
"Well that whole year was unbelievable because he was on fire. I was
up and down between the minors. I think when he first came back I was
in the minors and I was just hoping so badly to have a chance to play
with him. You didn’t know how long he was going to play. It was just a
treat."
On coming to Civic/Mellon Arena as a visitor:
"I still look forward to it coming as a visitor. Some of the people. The ushers at our entrance over here. Shake hands and talk with some of the people that just greet you on your way in. It’s always a pleasure. Have a 10-minute conversation with somebody coming on the way in that you have seen for a few of years. People like that give a building character."
On Pittsburgh as a hockey market compared to Calgary and Boston:
"If you’re winning, it’s good. Like anywhere. When we had that run (in 2001), that was memorable. Same thing in Calgary (in 2004). We had a great run there. It was crazy. I don’t know if you can really compare one or the other. They’re all great. You walk down the street and people wish you luck. It’s tough to put one ahead of the other."
On Civic/Mellon Arena physically:
"It’s a good rink. I like the design. I like the shape of the stands. Just the way it looks."
Favorite thing about Civic/Mellon Arena:
"Best showers in the home (locker) room. I don’t know if they have the same ones in there but it was like a river coming down on you. "
On Consol Energy Center and Pittsburgh being "green:"
"I heard the new rink is LEEDS certified. That’s great. That’s awesome. Hopefully they can set the bar for any new arenas that are going in. When you see cities that have that blue-collar history and stuff like that take a stand and try to be more green, it’s not just some granola-crunching hippies that wanted it. It’s the everyday man that’s concerned about it."
(Photos: First-Matt Freed/Post-Gazette; Second-Peter Diana/Post-Gazette; Third-Noah Graham/Getty Images; Fourth-Elsa/Getty Images)
Nov 19 2009
So we've decided to cap off watching one blowup by watching another one. We're taking in the Blackhawks-Flames game right now. The Blackhawks are romping the Flames, 6-1. And we noticed something rather cool on Gamecenter Live:
Down at the bottom, there are markers that go to all the goals any any big saves throughout the course of a broadcast. So if you wanted to catch Dustin Byfuglien's goal, all you have to do is point and click.
Nov 19 2009
PREGAME
-Greetings from rainy and dreary Western Pennsylvania. High 40s and nothing but rain all day. Just awful.
-The Penguins get a Superstar and a Sarge back tonight and they've each done damage to the Senators in the past:
-FSN Pittsburgh wants to know what you want to watch. Something on Jaromir Jagr, Bob Johnson or last season's Stanley Cup title. We're voting for Johnson:
-Mark Eaton will play tonight. He will remain the only Penguins defenseman to appear in every game this season. Chris Lee is scratched along with Alex Goligoski and Brooks Orpik.
-The Senators scratches are Peter Regin and Ryan Shannon.
-Marc-Andre Fleury and Pascal Leclaire are your starting goaltenders.
-Talbot to Dan Potash: "I missed you!"
-Your lines and defensive combinations:
-FSN Pittsburgh comes through with Lyndon Slewidge's rendition of the national anthems:
-Do yourself a favor and catch Potash's piece on Slewidge during the first intermission.
FIRST PERIOD
19:40: Gonchar shows he's still has his touch deep in his own zone as he makes a little tap pass to Ruslan Fededotenko in the Penguins' zone. That allows Fedotenko to skate the puck out of danger.
19:19: Off a turnover in the Senators' zone, Gonchar rips a wrister from the left point. Fedotenko is in the slot and appears to deflect it off the post.
18:51: And the Penguins strike immediately. Dupuis takes a pass in the neutral zone from Bill Guerin. Dupuis moves it up the right wing and dishes a pass into the slot for Jordan Staal. Staal beats Nick Foligno and is able to tap the puck by Leclaire on the stick side. Staal's long reach allowed him to get that puck on net. We'll bet $23 Paul Steigerwald is itching to use the "pterodactyl" line. Dupuis and Guerin get assists. Penguins 1-0.
18:12: The Senators get a chance to tie it up as Kovalev is "tripped" Talbot. Kovalev kind of jumped out of Tablot's way and fell down. Eh... Bench Talbot. Matt Cooke, Ben Lovejoy, Craig Adams and Gonchar take the ice.
18:03: Fleury hangs on to a shot in tight by Milan Michalek.
17:56: Kuba controls the puck at the left point and lobs a wrister on net. Fleury traps it against his chest.
16:33: Cooke pushes the puck up the left wing, slides towards the slot and snaps off a wrister. Leclaire deflects it away wit his blocker.
16:12: As Talbot's penalty is about to expire, Fuba directs another shot at the net from the left point. It hits a body in front. Mike Fisher is there and his chance off a rebound is denied by Fleury's left leg.
15:24: Mark Eaton cracks a one-timer from the right point. Chris Phillips blocks it.
14:51: Mike Rupp moves up the left wing on a two-on-one. He eventually runs out of real estate and moves behind the net and dishes a pass to Malkin the left faceoff circle. Malkin snaps off a shot which Leclaire denies.
12:45: Fisher rushes up the right ring against Martin Skoula and rips a rising wrister. Fleury has to hop up a bit and fight it off.
12:20: FSN Pittsburgh busts out a solid list:
11:15: Crosby creates a two-on-one with Malkin against Phillips but Crosby never appears to have total control of the puck and Phillips pokes it away.
10:10: Staal moves the puck up the right wing and centers a pass to Guerin. Guerin snaps off a shot which is blocked in front by Matt Carkner.
9:45: Rupp moves up the right wing and snaps off a wrister which is far and wide.
8:46: Fisher sneaks down the right wing and rips a wrister off the outside of the post. He tries to collect the rebound but Deryk Engelland slams him against the boards.
7:51: Nick Foligno has a shot from the slot blocked by Engelland.
7:44: That was only a matter of time. The Senators control the puck in the offensive zone and eventually cash in. Fisher moves the puck to Carnker moving from the right point. Carkner winds up and smacks a slapper that beats Fleury far on the blocker side. Not exactly a great goal for Fleury to give up. Foligno and Fisher get assists. Penguins 1, Senators 1.
7:10: As FSN Pittsburgh goes to commercial, we get a peak at Carkner's beat up face:
-Chances are, most of the damage was done in this fight with Toronto's Colton Orr recently:
6:49: Off a turnover by Engelland in the Senators' zone, Daniel Alfredsson races up the right wing and creates a two-on-one against Gonchar. He cuts inside Gonchar, moves into the slot and puts a little wrister on net which Fleury scoops up with his glove. Engelland owes Fleury a beer.
5:11: Talbot emerges from the back of the net and dishes a backhanded feed to Gonchar. Gonchar kind of chops the feed on net. Leclaire is able to fight it off. Gonchar didnt' exactly get a completely clean shot off there.
4:46: Kuba takes a pass at the right point and cracks a one-timer which Fleury punches away.
4:30: Crosby cuts in from the left wing and whips a backhander on net. Leclaire steers it away.
2:32: Alfredsson controls the puck on the right wing. He has some time and space and picks his shot but he rings it off the crossbar.
1:36: The Senators chip the puck down ice from behind the red line. It hits off the boards behind the Penguins' blue line and deflects into the crease. Guenin juuuust touches it in the crease to get an icing call just as a Senators forwards jumps in the play.
0:45: Kovalev gets a chance on the left wing but rockets a wrister high of the cage.
0:15: Talbot dishes a feed into the slot for Adams. Adams whiffs on his shot attempt but he was checked from behind by Carkner as he attempted the shot. Carkner is nabbed for holding. Malkin, Crosby, Guerin, Gonchar and Eaton are on for the power play.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Senators 1.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-That wasn't the Penguins' best period, but they do look a lot better in terms of how they're moving the puck. Gonchar the biggest reason for that. He gives them a lot more confidence.
-Talbot's been Talbot. You generally don't notice him every time he's on the ice the way you do with Crosby or Malkin, but he finds ways to get noticed with key plays. He set up Gonchar for a nice chance in tight and he set up Adams on the play that led to the Penguins' power play.
-Fleury was solid outside of the iffy goal he let up.
-Kovalev is playing like he has a purpose.
-The Senators have a 9-4 lead in shots.
-Kuba leads the game with three.
-Staal, Cooke, Malkin and Crosby have the Penguins' shots.
-So much for not giving Gonchar too much too soon. He leads the game with 8:31 of ice time.
-So much for not giving Eaton and his wonky back too much. He's second with 8:23.
-Phillips leads the Senators with 7:40.
-The Senators have an 8-7 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).
-Spezza is 6 for 11 (55 percent).
-Crosby is 4 for 7 (57 percent).
-Engelland leads the game with three blocked shots.
-The Penguins will have 1:45 of power-play time on clean ice.
SECOND PERIOD
19:01: As Malkin misses from two wild shots from the left faceoff circle, Guerin is nabbed for goaltender interference. We'll have four-on-four for 46 seconds.
18:29: Fisher works his way up the right wing and puts a wrister on net. Fleury fights it off.
18:22: Talbot has a shot from the left wing deflected wide.
18:15: Carkner's penalty is killed.The Senators will have 1:14 of power play time.
17:29: The Senators cash in their power play chance. Alexandre Picard dishes a pass to Alfredsson at the top of the right faceoff circle. Alfredsson turns and rips a wrister on net. Michalek is in front and appears to re-direct it by Fleury. Either way, Michalek had a heck of a screen. He gets credit for the goal. It's his 100th career goal. Alfredsson and Picard get assists. Senators 2-1.
16:34: Jarkko Ruutu tries to run over Martin Skoula behind the Penguins' net. Skoula braces for the hit and fights off Ruutu.
15:07: Foligno dishes a pass to Kovalev to the left of the net. Kovalev's jam-in attempts are denied.
14:58: Guerin puts a shot on net from deep on the left wing. Leclaire fights it off.
14:37: The Penguins get a power play as the Senators are nabbed for too many men on the ice. Fedotenko, Gonchar, Malkin, Crosby and Guerin take the ice. Fedotenko is on the point with Gonchar.
12:37: The Senators kill off the power play. Very little going on for the Penguins there.
11:46: Adams whips a backhander on net from the left wing. Cooke is there in front and re-directs it. Leclaire is able to fight it off.
11:17: Did the organist at Scotiabank Place play the theme to "Dallas?"
10:35: Crosby picks up the puck at his own blue line, moves up on the left wing, crosses the Senators' blue line against Kuba, criss-crosses with Fedotenko and has acres of ice to shoot on. He snaps off a wrister which Leclaire is able to eat up.
9:32: Chris Neil mashes Skoula into the boards behind the Penguins' net.
9:09: Skoula cracks a slapper from the left point. It gets deflected wide.
8:36: Crosby moves the puck up ice, challenges Phillips and draws a penalty. Phillips essentially tried to tackle Crosby as he was stickhandling. He's nabbed for hooking. Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar, Guerin and Eaton are on for the power play.
8:19: Gonchar rips a wrister high of the cage.
7:33: Alfredsson pushes the puck up ice shorthanded to kill time. He cross from the left ot right wins and dishes a pass to Picard moving on the left point. Picard's slapper is wide of the cage.
6:36: Phillips' penalty is killed. Another weak effort for the Penguins.
5:58: Dupuis snaps off a wrister from the slot. Leclaire traps it against his chest. During the television timeout, the second A&L Motors commercial is played:
4:52: FSN Pittsburgh reminds the world of the Penguins' monopoly on Stanley Cup Final Game 7 heros:
-Frantisek Kaberle not impressed:
3:40: Jesse Winchester takes a pass in the slot and cracks a one-timer that flutters up on Fleury. Fleury traps it against his chest.
2:40: Adams drops to his knees and blocks a wrister by Jonathan Cheechoo.
2:20: Bob Errey drops a reference of the great Mike Zigomanis. Awesome.
0:39: After a pretty bland two minutes, the Senators take a penalty. Chris Kelly trips up Lovejoy in the Penguins' zone during a scramble near the Penguins' net. Gonchar, Lovejoy, Guerin, Malkin and Crosby take the ice.
0:29: Lovejoy hammers a slapper from the left wing. Leclaire fights it off.
0:14: Fleury gloves a shot by Kuba.
0:03: Lovejoy does a nice job of moving the puck into the offensive zone up the right wing and cracks a slapper to the far side. Leclaire boots it out.
0:00: End of period. Senators 2, Penguins 1.
SECOND INTERMISSION
-That was a flat period for the Penguins. They didn't have too much life at all there.
-The power play is struggling? You don't say?
-This is a tie game if the Pengins are below average at the power play.
-Can't use the "Gonchar's hurt" excuse anymore either.
-Has anyone seen Malkin?
-Leclaire has been very strong. He rarely seems out of position.
-The Senators have a 16-15 edge in shots.
-Lovejoy and Kuba each lead the game with four shots.
-Gonchar leads the game with 18:19 of ice time.
-Phillips leads the Senators with 15:25.
-The Penguins have an 18-16 edge in faceoffs (53 percent).
-Adams is 4 for 6 (67 percent).
-Spezza is 8 for 15 (53 percent).
-Carkner and Picard each lead the game with four blocked shots.
-Engelland and Eaton each lead the Penguins with three.
-The Penguins will have 1:21 of power-play time on clean ice.
THIRD PERIOD
20:00: Gonchar, Lovejoy, Crosby, Guerin and Malkin take the ice.
19:10: Lovejoy dishes a pass to Gonchar at the right point. Gonchar's slapper goes wide.
18:38: Kelly's penalty is killed. Ugh.
18:31: Kelly comes out of the box, takes a pass from Fisher and gets behind Eaton and is off to the races. Eaton kinds of swats at him with this stick bu it's twoo late. Kelly moves in and rips a nice wrister by Fleury on the blocker side. Eaton looked like he had cinderblocks on for skates on that play.It's not a shorthanded goal but it might as well be. Fisher and Picard get assists. Senators 3-1.
16:19: Spezza get a chance in tight and is denied by Fleury.
15:36: A wrister by Kuba from the top of the slot is deflected wide.
14:51: The Senators control the puck in the offensive zone and it once again pays off. The Penguin can't gain the puck and labor in their own zone. That allows Chris Phillips to pick up the puck and swat it on net from the left wing. Skoula screens Fleury and he gets beat on the far side. That was a really weak goal for Fleury and his defense to allow. The Penguins were just out-worked in their own zone for the puck and paid for it. Fisher and Foligno get assists. Senators 4-1.
12:57: Ruutu gets denied in tight by Fleury.
12:48: This has quickly devolved into something ugly. Kelly dishes the puck to Kuba at the top of the slot. Kuba then distributes to Phillips sneaking in on the left wing. Phillips just tosses a wrister that beats Fleury near on the blocker side. Yeesh. Engelland appeared to be screening Fleury there. Either way, it's a bad goal for the entire team to give up. Fleury is yanked in favor of Brent Johnson. Kuba and Kelly get assists. Senators 5-1.
11:30: Dupuis steals a pass by Carkner and whips a wrister on net from the slot. Leclaire fights it off.
11:09: Crosby whips a backhande ron net from the right wing. Leclaire punches it away.
10:40: Phillips hammers a slapper from the left point. It hits the boards and deflects out of play.
10:08: Johnson kicks out a slapper by Michalek.
9:57: Kuba smacks a slapper on net from the slot. Johnson fights it off with his blocker.
9:15: Staal loses a physical battle against the boards to a much smaller player. Chris Campoli (6-foot-0, 190 pounds) just outworks Staal (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) for the puck along the boards and gets it out of danger. Inexcusable.
7:55: Crosby chips the puck up ice out of his own zone and develops a two-on-one with Guerin. He dishes the puck to Guerin who can't completely control the puck and backhand chips it wide.
6:54: Ugh... Jonathan Cheechoo scores his first goal in like three years. Johnson and Gonchar have issues with the puck behind their own net and the Senators cash in the mistake. Johnson stops the puck behind the cage. Gonchar doesn't seem too interested in taking it. Cheechoo does and grabs it, moves to the front and puts a shot off the post as Johnson falls in the crease in an attempt to get back in position. Cheechoo gets the puck back and puts it up over a helpless Johnson. That was only Cheechoo's second goal of the season. A former Rocket Richard Trophy winner and he just now gets his second goal. Ugh. The goal is unassisted. Johnson and Gonchar deserve some. Senators 6, Penguins 1.
5:15: Leclaire covers a puck that slides in on net as Staal chases it. A small scrum develops behind the cage. Cooke and Neil, a match meant to be, exchange some thoughts on Logarithmically convex function. We think.
4:52: Staal pushes the puck out of the corner and attacks the net. Leclaire
4:37: Johnson denies shots by Donovan and Carkner.
2:25: Play is stopped as the Senators jump Cooke after he hit Shean Donovan with a knee on knee injury. Donovan needs help to the bench and to the locker room. What a cheap shot. Cooke should be kicked out the game and suspended. Somehow, the officials manage not to give Cooke a penalty. That ridiculous. We guess since it was Spezza or Alfredsson it's not a penalty. The Penguins are the team that ends up with a power play. Picard is sent off for slashing Cooke. Crosby, Malkin, Lovejoy, Guerin and Gonchar take the ice.
3:44: Lovejoy smacks a slapper on net from the top of the right faceoff circle. Leclaire fights it off.
3:35: Malkin emerges from behind the net and lifts a backhander on net. Leclaire eats it up.
3:25: Spezza rips a high wrister on net. Johnson fights it off.
2:41: Malkin finally shows up. He swopps from behind the net, circles in the right faceoff circle and rips a wrister that burns Leclaire five hole. Good job using Carkner as a screen. Cooke gets the only assist. These fans finally get a chance to get on television.
Senators 6-2.
1:51: Neil taks a pot shot at Eric Godard in front of the benches. This ends up being ta real slugfest. Lots of pucnhes thrown and many landed. Neil ends up with a cut under his left eye. Godard gets an extra roughing minor. Chris Bourque serves the extra penalty. Staal, Eaton, and Engelland take the ice.
1:02: Cooke chips the puck down ice to kill time.
0:00: End of game. Senators 6, Penguins 2.
POSTGAME
-That was just pathetic. Really pathetic. After the goal by Jordan Staal, the Penguins just didn't seem terribly interested in competing. They were just completly flat. The Senators meanwhile were hugry and aggressive and ran away with this game.
-We're so sick of tying the phrase "power play." It stinks. If it can generate some goals earlier, this is a totally different game. Outside of the injuries, the Penguins' biggest obstacle right now is the power play.
-Gonchar looked alright for the most part but he did seem a step slow.
-We didn't notice Talbot beyond the first period.
-We barely noticed Malkin before his goal.
-Engelland has a bit of a rough game turning over the puck a few times and screeing Fleury on the one goal by Phillips.
-Crosby was probably the most consistent Penguin leading more than a few rushes on net.
-Lovejoy showed something in terms of what he could do offensively. He wasn't afraid to put the puck on net.
-The Penguins did generate a good deal of quality chances on net. Leclaire was tough tonight. He earned this win.
-The Senators ended up with a 31-27 lead in shots.
-Kuba and Lovejoy led the game with five shots.
-Gonchar lead the game with 25:30.
-Phillips led the Senators with 23:02.
-The Senators had a 29-27 edge in faceoffs (52 percent).
-Winchester was 6 for 6 (100 percent).
-Crosby was 12 for 19 (63 percent).
-Carkner, a former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin, led the game with five blocked shots.
-Fire Ray Shero.
-Lovejoy and Eaton each led the Penguins with three blocked shots.
-Staal moved past Al McDonough for 59th place on the team's all-time scoring list. Each player has 130 points but Staal (69) has more goals than McDonough (56).
-Game summary.
-Event summary.
-Highlights.
Nov 19 2009
Senators forward Alex Kovalev (above) will play tonight. He will leave the team afterwards to address the death of his wife's mother in Russia.
The former Penguin has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 18 games this season.
Note: Earlier we had posted Kovalev would not play tonight. We regret the error.
Note 2: According to Kukla's Korner, TSN had initially reported Kovalev would not play. So blame whoever you like
(Photo: Nick Laham/Getty Images)
Nov 19 2009
Imagine this. Some good injury-related news.
Injured Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar (above) and forward Maxime Talbot wil return to the lineup tonight when the Penguins play in Ottawa tonight.
But, it's two steps forwards, one step back. Defenseman Mark Eaton, is questionable due to back spasms. As a result, the team recalled defenseman Chris Lee from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.
In nine games this season, Gonchar has recorded eight points (two goals, six assists). He has not played since Oct. 20 when he suffered a broken wrist.
Talbot has not played since Game 7 of last season's Stanley Cup final. Last season, he appeared in 75 games and recorded 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists). He has yet to play this season due to offseason shoulder surgery.
Eaton has appeared in all 21 of the team's games this season and has recorded five points (two goals, three assists). He is second on the team with 41 blocked shots.
Lee, 29, has played in 15 AHL games this season and has recorded seven points (one goal, six assists).
Dave Molinari has some information on what the team's re-configured power play looks like at PG+.
Note: Jonathan Bombulie of the Citizen's Voice points out some sobering numbers regarding the Penguins projected bottom four defensemen tonight.
EN Says: Tremendous news obviously. Gonchar brings so much stability to the blue line, especially on the dreadful power play. He's a very complete player.
And what doesn't Talbot bring to the rink? His versatility is well documented.
Hopefully, these two aren't fed too many minutes two soon.
Eaton would be a loss for sure, but at this point, we think everyone is kind of numb to the idea of an injured defenseman.
(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Nov 19 2009
A preview of the Senators.
When and where: 7:30 p.m., Scotiabank Place.
TV: FSN Pittsburgh, TSN2, RDS.
Record: 9-6-3, 21 points. The Senators are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Northeast Divison.
Leading Scorer: Daniel Alfredsson (right), 19 points (six goals, 13 assists).
Last Game: 3-2 home win, Tuesday. Mike Fisher had two goals for the Senators.
Last Game against the Penguins: 4-1 home loss, Oct. 12. Tyler Kennedy scored two goals for the Penguins.
Senators Player We Would Bet Money On Scoring: Filip Kuba. He had four assists in four games against the Penguins last season. He missed the game on Oct. 12.
Ex-Penguins on the Senators: Matt Carkner, D (Carkner is a former Wilkes-barre/Scranton Penguin); Shean Donovan, LW; Alex Kovalev, RW; Jarkko Ruutu, LW.
Ex-Senators on the Penguins: Phil Bourque, broadcaster; Ray Shero, general manager (he was an assistant general manager with Ottawa).
Useless Senators Trivia Vaguely Related to the Penguins: Alex Kovalev still the top career scorer in Penguins history amongh Soviet or Russian born players with 347 points. Evgeni Malkin is sneaking up on him with with 321.
Best Senators YouTube Video We Could Find: A line brawl between the Senators and Bruins that featured one-time Penguins Bill Guerin, Hall Gill, Shawn McEachern and Patrick Lalime:
Notes:
-Marc-Andre Fleury (11-6-0, 2.49 GAA, .905 SV%) and Pascal Leclaire (7-5-1, 2.82 GAA, .896 SV%) are your expected starters in net.
-For the Penguins, forward Maxime Talbot (shoulder) is probable. Defensemen Alex Goligoski ("lower body"), Jay McKee (finger), Brooks Orpik (undisclosed) and forward Chris Kunitz ("lower body") are out. Defensemen Sergei Gonchar (wrist), Kris Letang (shoulder) and forward Tyler Kennedy (groin) are on injured reserve. While Gonchar is questionable to return tonight, he is still officially listed on injured reserve.
-For the Senators, defenseman Anton Volchenkov (elbow) is on injured reserve.
-One!?! One!?! One stinking defenseman!?! That's it!?!
-Welcome back Maxime Talbot. (Probably.)
-Say, did you hear about all these injuries on defense for the Penguins?
-Kovalev and Fisher have developed some chemistry.
-Senators defenseman Chris Phillips, the first overall pick of the 1996 draft, is expected to play in his 800th career game.
-Tickets were still available as of midnight.
-Our live blog begins at approximately, 7:30 p.m. Please tune in.
(Photo: Photobucket)
Nov 19 2009
Penguins
-Some young punk was running around the streets of Halifax, N.S. setting stuff on fire.
-Kudos to WPXI for sending a reporter to Halifax to cover Crosby's run. Rightly or wrongly, WPXI gets a bad rap for being a "Steelers station," but it covered what was essentially a pep rally for Crosby and Canada at what we assume was considerable expense.
-Crosby's elementary school changed its mascot to a Penguin.
-Sports Illustrated's Michael Farber makes the case for Crosby to be named that magazine's Sportsman of the Year.
-The Penguins have a few players beat up.
-We missed this the other day, but check out this cool shot of Craig Adams and the puck from Monday's game against the Ducks:
(Kudos to EN reader Matt M. for the heads up.)
-The NHL is auctioning an autographed Mario Lemieux Erie Otters jersey on behalf of the Mario Lemieux Foundation:
(Kudos to Sean Leahy of Yahoo! for the find.)
-The Penguins are good people:
-Dan Bylsma talks about his day with the Stanley Cup:
-Ground was broken on a hotel that will sit adjacent to Consol Energy Arena.
-If the Penguins do need another defenseman from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Chris Lee would probably be next in line.
-Wilkes-Barre/Scranton leads the AHL with 50 fighting majors.
-Happy 33rd birthday to former Penguins forward Petr Sykora. Sykora recorded 10 game-winning goals for the Penguins last season, the second-highest total in team history and scored (and predicited) arguably, the most famous goal in the history of the franchise:
-Not to get stuck on Sykora here, but we just remembered this passionate defense he offered of Marc-Andre Fleury following Game 7 of last seasons' Stanley Cup Final:
Atlantic Division
-Two assists from Braydon Coburn helped the Flyers claim a 3-2 win at Los Angeles. Brian Boucher (above) made 37 saves for Philadelphia which won for the seventh time in eight games. Jarret Stoll led the Kings with a goal and an assist.
-Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick seemed like he had issues locating the puck all night:
-Los Angeles' Matt Greene got the best of Philadelphia's Darroll Powe on this check:
-The Devils recalled defenseman Tyler Eckford from Lowell of the AHL and demoted defenseman Cory Murphy.
-Today's Sign the Offseason is Too Dang Short: Devils forward Patrik Elias admitted he is still not fully recovered from offseason groin surgery.
Northeast Division
-The Bruins are negotiating a contract extension with forward Marc Savard who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
-Canadiens forward Brian Gionta will be out indefinitely due to a broken foot. With former Penguins forward Georges Laraque and defenseman Ryan O'Byrne taken off injured reserve, the Canadiens demoted defenseman Mathieu Carle to Hamilton of the AHL.
-For the first time since they moved into Air Canada Centre, the Maple Leafs have failed to sell out their luxury suites.
Southeast Division
-Two goals from Michael Frolik helped the Panthers rout the Sabres, 6-2. Rostislav Olesz and former Penguin Dominic Moore each contributed a goal and an assist for Florida. Fire Ray Shero. Keith Ballard recorded three assists while Tomas Vokoun (above) made 26 saves in the win. Thomas Vanek led Buffalo with two assists.
-Vokoun had a negative reaction to the invasion of his personal space by Vanek's butt:
-We don't want to suggest Florida's Keith Ballard left his feet here, but...:
-The Thrashers demoted defenseman Boris Valabik to Chicago of the AHL for conditioning purposes.
-With goaltenders Cam Ward (leg) and Michael Leighton ("lower body") dinged up, the Hurricanes recalled goaltender Justin Peters from Albany of the AHL. Additionally, defenseman Tim Conboy was demoted to Albany.
-The Hurricanes are hoping Ward can return to the lineup by Dec. 5 against the Canucks.
-Capitals defenseman Quintin Laing will be sidelined four to six weeks due to a broken jaw.
-Panthers forward David Booth had a setback in recovering from a concussion suffered Oct. 24.
-Florida general manager Randy Sexton shot down rumors he was shopping forwards Nathan Horton and Rostislav Olesz.
-In his first nine games of the season, Lightning forward Alex Tanguay had produced all of two points (both assists). In his second nine games, his production jumped to 14 points (four goals, 10 assists).
Central Division
-The Blackhawks recalled forward Bryan Bickell from Rockford of the AHL.
-Resurrecting the franchise isn't enough for Blackhawks president John McDonough. He still wants the Stanley Cup.
-What a rotten day to be a cab driver. Chicago forward Patrick Kane (right) turns 21 today.
-The Syracuse Crunch, the Blue Jackets' AHL affiliate, signed former Hurricanes, Maple Leafs, Capitals and Avalanche forward Bates Battaglia.
-The Blue Jackets loan of forward Nikita Filatov, the club's first-round pick in 2008, is based on nothing more than a handshake agreement.
-Predators coach Barry Trotz is kind of mad at the folks who run the game clock at the Sommet Center in Nashville.
-Former Red Wings forward Sergei Fedorov accused several members of the Detroit organization of being jealous. The dude was married to Anna Kournikova in her prime. What wasn't there to be jealous of.
Northwest Division
-Gilbert Brule, Sam Gagner and Ales Hemsky each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers in a 6-4 defeat of the Avalanche. Lubomir Visnovsky recorded two assists for Edmonton which ended a four-game losing streak. Milan Hejduk had two goals for Colorado which has lost four out of its past five games.
-Lead of the Night: "On a night when Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj fought the puck, the puck emerged the decisive victor." - Adrian Dater, Denver Post.
-Today's attack on an opponent's head is brought to you by Colorado's Ryan Wilson on Edmonton's Ethan Moreau:
-This hit might've been legal, but it's not right. WIlson could've run him over with a spectacular check without targeting the head. Thankfully Moreau was fine.
-To those of you you would argue "that how the sport was meant to be played," the sport also used to forbid forward passing and didn't allow goaltenders to drop to their knees. We don't hear you complaining about those changes.
-Cool Photo of Wilson's fight with Edmonton's Zach Stortini:
-Happy times for the Oilers and their fans:
-With Colorado captain Adam Foote sidelined due to a jaw injury, defenseman Tom Preissing took his spot in the lineup and recorded his first career assist with the Avalanche.
-The Wild recalled forward Danny Irmen from Houston of the AHL.
-Former Avalanche forward Dan Hinote has joined former Colorado teammate Peter Forsberg by signing with Modo in Sweden.
-Flames coach Brent Sutter and Dion Phaneuf aren't BFFS.
-Today's Canadian team to get preferential treatment in regards to swine flu vaccinations is the Vancouver Canucks.
-Vancouver forward Daniel Sedin is hoping to return from a broken foot by Sunday.
-Canucks forward Alex Burrows is dealing with hip and groin injuries.
Pacific Division
-James Neal and Brad Richards each had two assists for the Stars in a 3-1 win at Detroit. Alex Auld (above) made 31 saves in the win which snapped a three-game winning streak for the Red Wings.
-We don't have a lot of sympathy for the Red Wings or their classless fans (Remember the enthusiastic cheers for Sidney Crosby's injury in Game 7 of last season's Stanley Cup Final?) but they totally got robbed on this non-goal by Detroit's Brad May:
-Officials ruled that one of them had blown his whistle and that killed the play. The Red Wings claim the whistle was not blown.
-May had a wild tilt with Dallas' Krys Barch:
-Cool photo of the fight:
-Radim Vrbata had a goal and an assist for the Coyotes who edged the Wild, 3-2. Ilya Brzygalov made 24 saves in the win. Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen each had a goal and an assist for Minnesota.
-Wild coach Todd Richards called the loss his team's "poorest performance of the year."
-The Ducks put forwards Ryan Carter (foot) and Saku Koivu (groin) on injured reserve and recalled forward MacGregor Sharp from Bakersfield of the ECHL.
-Normally a strength for the team, the Ducks' goaltending has been pretty spotty this season.
-The "upper-body" injury to Kings forward Ryan Smyth will keep him sidelined up to one month.
-Sharks captain Rob Blake is apparently moonlighting as the Penguins' team doctor:
(Kudos to Kukla's Korner for the find.)
Adams Division
-There are a lot of new faces in the NHL's scoring race this season.
(Photos: Crosby-Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press; Adams-Justin K. Aller/Getty Images; Boucher-Victor Decolongon/Getty Images; Quick and Greene-Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press; Vokoun, Vanek and Ballard-Rick Stewart/Getty Images; Kane-Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press; Wilson-John Ulan/Canadian Press; Oilers fans-Amber Bracken/Edmonton Sun/Canadian Press; Auld and May-Carlos Osorio/Associated Press)
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