Mar 09 2010
Penguins
-Matt Cooke (above) has attempted to contact Bruins forward Marc Savard.
-Savard was officially diagnosed with
a Grade 2 concussion.
-According to NHL discipline czar Colin Campbell, Cooke did not hit Savard with an elbow.
-"He obviously wasn't trying to hurt him, but you've got to let up in
those situations. It doesn't matter who you are or what type of game you
play, you can't hit guys like that." - Senators forward Mike Fisher.
-"That's the type of player he is. He runs around and he hits guys when
they are in a vulnerable position. I hope the league does something
about it. If they don't, it's going to be a big mistake, especially
protecting a guy like him who has previous times hit guys dirty. I think
they should suspend him more than one game." - Lightning captain Vincent Lecavalier on Cooke. Lecavalier suffered a season-ending injury in 2007-08 when Cooke, while with the Capitals, checked him.
-"Look at his track record. I don't know how many times he's been suspended. It's never been a long one but those one- or two-gamers, and he's one of those guys you have to be aware of on the ice." - Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr.
-Has anyone seen Jay McKee?
-What do Sidney Crosby and the concept of humor have in common? You won't find either on a certain late night CBS show.
-The Penguins are the NHL's only team without a shutout this season.
-PensBurgh takes a look at some Penguins closing in on career high marks.
-Crosby isn't the only Canadian hockey hero who doesn't know where his equipment is. Paul Henderson is in the dark also.
-Reebok has some leads on Crosby's stick.
-Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo! has part 2 of his Sidney Crosby Olympic roar photo shop contest.
-Ray Shero made an appeareance on "NHL Live" yesterday:
Atlantic Division
-Normally a 30-goal threat, Flyers forward Scott Hartnell is on a pace for only 15 goals.
-The Flyers are hoping for their 15th consecutive win against the Islanders tonight.
-Islanders forward Blake Comeau is dealing with a back ailment.
-The Islanders are expected to recall tough guy Trevor Gillies just in time for today's game against the Flyers.
Northeast Division
-Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller made an appeareance on "Today." J. Fred Muggs not impressed.
-Boston demoted former Penguins goaltender Dany Sabourin to Providence of the AHL.
-The Bruins recalled defenseman Jeff Penner from Providence.
-The Senators re-signed defenseman Brian Lee to a two-year contract extension.
-Not surprisingly, Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf (right) is in favor of hits to the head.
Southeast Division
-Did you know Steven "Stankos" is one of top second-year goal scorers? And that he looks like Corey Perry?
-Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin got a haircut from his mom.
-The Panthers are hoping for their first ever win in Minnesota tonight.
-Forida defenseman Keith Ballard is dealing with an unspecified injury.
Central Division
-With defenseman Denis Grebeshkov dealing with a "lower-body" injury, the Predators recalled defenseman Alexander Sulzer from Milwaukee of the AHL.
-Prior to the season, Blackhawks forward Troy Brouwer set a goal of 20 goals. He's sitting on 19.
Northwest Division
-Avalanche defenseman Ruslan Salei is dealing with a torso injury.
-Canucks forward Ryan Kesler will be on the cover of NHL2K11.
Pacific Division
-Shootout goals by Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson gave the Stars a 4-3 win at Washington. Richards had a goal and an assist in regulation while Marty Turco made a whopping 49 saves in the victory. Alex Ovechkin (above, being stopped by Turco) led Washington with two goals. The loss snapped a 13-game home winning streak.
-Ovechkin put a sick move on Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas to score this goal:
-Unlike say Sidney Crosby, Capitals forward Alexander Semin didn't have a special shootout attempt last night:
-Washington's Nicklas Backstrom had no issues beating Turco:
-Confused times for Capitals forward an former Penguin Matt Bradley:
-Funny Face of the Night: Dallas' Mike Ribeiro:
-Happy times for Ovechkin:
-Jonathan Quick made all of 11 saves for the Kings in a brutal 6-0 shutout of the Blue Jackets. Alexander Frolov had a goal and three assists while Michal Handzus and former Fredrik Modin each recorded a goal and an assist. Fire Scott Howson.
-Check out this goal by Los Angeles' Drew Doughty:
-Brutal defense.
-Cool Photos of the Night: Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick and forward Anze Kopitar walking towards the ice:
-Happy times for Quick and Kopitar:
-Los Angeles' Brad Richards was able to get this puck by Columbus goaltender and former Penguin Mathieu Garon:
-"That was more than tough, it was embarrassing." - Blue Jackets forward R.J. Umberger.
-As if life wasn't rotten enough for the Blue Jackets, captain Rick Nash left the game with a "lower-body" injury.
Adams Division
-Happy 99th birthday to former Pittsburgh Yellowjackets forward Eddie
Ouellette.
-Today would've been the 111th birthday of former Pittsburgh Yellowjackets and Shamrocks forward Bill
Holmes.
(Photos: Cooke-Keith Srakocic/Associated Press; Phaneuf-Abelimages/Getty Images; Stars/Capitals-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images and Susan Walsh/Associated Press; Blue Jackets/Kings-Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
Mar 09 2010
"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 Pascal Dupuis.
Dupuis (right, with Sidney Crosby) is currently a forward with the Penguins. Prior to joining the
Penguins, Dupuis spent time with the Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers
and Atlanta Thrashers. At the 2008 trade deadline, Dupuis was part of a
blockbuster trade when he came to the Penguins along with superstar
forward Marian Hossa in a deal that sent forwards Colby
Armstrong, Erik
Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-round pick to the
Thrashers. Both Dupuis and Hossa would find places on Crosby's
line that spring as the Penguins reached the Stanley Cup final for the
first time in 16 years.
The following offseason, one of those players re-signed with the
Penguins while the other left via free agency. Much to the dismay of
Penguins fans, Hossa was the one who left. Dupuis spent the bulk of the
season once again on Crosby line but also filled out in a variety of
other roles and helped the team claim its third Stanley Cup title
against Hossa and the Detroit Red Wings.
In 152 games with the Penguins, Dupuis has scored 68 points, 103rd
most in franchise history.
First Memory of Civic/Mellon Arena:
"My first memory was watching Mario Lemieux but after that... was
that movie… with Jean-Claude Van Damme…."
Does he remember his first game at Civic/Mellon Arena:
"No. I don’t. I think I got hit in the head the other day but I
don’t."
(Note: This interview was conducted no too long after he
was checked into the boards from behind by Islanders defenseman Andy
Sutton, Jan. 19.)
On an overtime goal in a 3-2 win against the Flyers, Oct. 14,
2008:
"It was special. Always when you score an OT goal, every time you win
here, it’s special. The city makes you feel special. It’s the same here
in the building."
Favorite part of Civic/Mellon Arena:
"Just all the memories. You walk in here, you feel that it’s a
winning locker room. Three Stanley Cups in here. Just the little things
you do when you do – jumping on the ice as a routine – but obviously
that’s going to change next year."
On his role in Marian Hossa's series-clinching overtime goal
against in Game 5 of the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals:
"(Laughter) I literally missed the play. I chopped at the puck and it
ended being Marian’s play. I think the guy misplayed it or didn’t even
touch it. Just jumped over this stick and I chopped it."
(Photo: Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
Mar 08 2010
Bruins forward Marc Savard spoke to the Boston Herald today. He was expected to fly back to Boston today after staying the night in a Pittsburgh hotel.
"(Bruins trainer) Donnie (DelNegro) said I was out for a good 15-20
seconds. I remember seeing bright lights right after, and
that was about it. I kind of remember waving (to the crowd) as I went
off. I knew where I was then, I guess, but I don’t remember much of it
at all.”
The league has yet to rule on any discipline for Cooke.
Note: According to Dan Bylsma, Cooke did try to contact Savard following yesterday's game (PG+).
(Photo: Keith Srakocic/Associated Press)
Mar 08 2010
Penguins
-Dave Molinari's recap from yesterday's game. "A guy like that has to be suspended." - Boston coach Claude Julien on Matt Cooke who injured Bruins forward Marc Savard with a hit.
-The Boston Globe's recap. "You don’t want to see anyone get hurt. I said sorry to him the best I could." - Cooke.
-The Boston Herald's recap. "If it was Cooke, I’m not surprised." - Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman.
-The Associated Press' recap. "You don’t like to see anyone, your own
teammate or an opposing player, lay on the ice like that." - Sidney Crosby.
-NHL.com's recap. Savard was officially diagnosed with a concussion.
-Highlights courtesy of EN contributor GhostWalker40:
-Evgeni Malkin, Matt Cooke, Sidney Crosby and Alexei Ponikarovsky speak:
-Scary times for Marc Savard:
-Happy times for Pascal Dupuis. No so much for former Penguin Miroslav Satan:
-Evgeni Malkin being popular:
-Malkin was scared of Dennis Seidenberg:
-We think.
-Crosby fighting off Zdeno Chara:
-Maxime Talbot hounding former Penguin Mark Recchi:
-Marc-Andre Fleury making a save:
-Mark Stuart having issues with Ruslan Fedotenko's face:
-Tim Thomas looking around the cage:
-Fedotenko and Satan going into the corner:
-Fedotenko crashing into Thomas:
-Ron Cook questions the NHL's inconsistent rules regarding blows to the head.
-Ditto David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail.
-Ditto Damian Cox of the Toronto Star.
-Guess what will be discussed at the NHL's general managers' meetings in Boca Raton, Fla. today?
-Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was frustrated officials allowed Pascal Dupuis' goal to stand.
-Welcome back Miroslav Satan.
-Eric Godard is going to test his injured groin today.
-Are Jordan Leopold and Alexei Ponikarovsky truly rental players?
-Aaron Clarke had a goal and three assists for the Wheeling Nailers in a 5-3 win against the Trenton Devils.
-Happy 49th birthday to former Penguins all-star defenseman Larry
Murphy (right). Acquired midway through the 1990-91 season along with Peter
Taglianetti in a trade that sent Chris
Dahlquist and Jim
Johnson to the North Stars, Murphy spent parts of five extremely productive seasons with the Penguins which included two Stanley Cup titles. Murphy recorded 23 points in 23 playoff games in 1991 and helped the Penguins claim their first Stanley Cup title. In 1991-92, Murphy recorded 77 points in 77 games and once again helped the Penguins claim the Stanley Cup. The 1992-93 season saw Murphy set a career high for points when he netted 85 in 73 games and helped the Penguins claim the President's Trophy. 1993-94 was another stellar campaign for Murphy has he 73 points in 84 games. Murphy's final season saw him net 38 points in 48 games in the lockout-shortened 1994-95 campaign. In the 1995 offseason, the Penguins traded Murphy to the Maple Leafs in exchange for Dimitri Mironov and a draft pick. Murphy retired as a player following the 2000-01 season and was
inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. A three-time all-star,
Murphy is fifth all-time among defensemen with 1,216 career points. In
336 games with the Penguins, he recorded 301 points, 22nd most in
frachise history. Murphy is currently a broadcaster with the Red Wings
and NHL Network.
-Happy 54th birthday to former Penguins forward Greg
Malone (right). A second-round pick in 1976, Malone spent seven mostly productive seasons with the Penguins as a player. His best season in the NHL was 1978-79 when he led the Penguins with 65 points and 35 goals. Prior to the 1983-84 season, he was traded to the Whalers in exchange for a draft pick in 1985. In 495 games with the Penguins, Malone recorded 364 points, 14th most in franchise history. Following his retirement as a player, Malone became a scout with the Penguins and eventually became the franchise's head scout, a position he held through 2006. The father of former Penguins forward Ryan Malone, Greg Malone is currently a scout with the Lightning.
-Happy 39th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Bob
Boughner. Acquired fromt he Predators at the 2000 trade deadline in a deal that sent Pavel
Skrbek to Nashville, Boughner spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. A tough, tenacious defender, Boughner is probably best remembered for a violent hit on Flyers captain Keith Primeau in the 2000 playoffs which knocked out Primeau. Following the memorable 2000-01 season, Boughner left the team when he signed with the Calgary Flames in the offseason. He retired as a player following 2005-06 and is currently the head coach of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires. In 69 games with the Penguins, he recorded five points and 216 penalty minutes.
-Happy 67th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Tracy
Pratt (right). Acquired midway through the 1968-69 season along with George
Swarbrick and Bryan
Watson in a trade that sent Earl
Ingarfield, Gene
Ubriaco and Dick
Mattiussi to Oakland, Pratt spent parts of two seasons with the Penguins. In the 1970 offseason, he was claimed by the Sabres in the expansion draft. In 83 games with the Penguins Pratt had 17 points and 158 penalty minutes.
-Happy 45th birthday to former Penguins defenseman Mike
Rowe. A third-round pick in 1983, Rowe had three brief cups of coffee with the Penguins over three seasons. His NHL career amounted to 11 games with zero points and 11 penalty minutes with the Penguins. Rowe remained with the organizaton through 1987-88. In the 1988 offseason, he left North America and signed with the Whitley Warriors in Britain.
Atlantic Division
-Michael Leighton made 27 saves and led the Flyers to a 3-1 defeat of the Maple Leafs. Chris Pronger had two assists for Philadelphia. Toronto has lost five out its past six games.
-From the "Nobody to Root For" department, Toronto's Dion Phaneuf fought Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell:
-Funny photo of the fight:
-Toronto's Colton Orr was his usual useless self:
-Funny Face of the Night: Philadelphia's Mike Richards:
-Toronto's Phil Kessel kicking up some ice:
-Toronto's Jean-Sebastien Giguere had issues with this puck:
-Toronto's Luke Schenn laid out Philadelphia's Blair Betts:
-Ditto Toronto's Christian Hanson on Hartnell:
-Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo's game has improved since Peter Laviolette came on board as coach.
-Devils forward Dean McAmmond is dealing with a shoulder/neck injury.
-A "Fire Glen Sather" rally in honor of the Rangers general manager an former Penguins forward was held outside Madison Square Garden yesterday.
Northeast Division
-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Patrick Kaleta's (above) overtime goal gave the Sabres a 2-1 win against the Rangers. Ryan Miller made 35 saves in the victory. The Sabres are in third place in the Eastern Conference with 79 point, five fewer than the second place Penguins.
-"We needed the 2 points, we got 1." - Rangers coach John Tortorella.
-Happy times for Buffalo's Adam Mair:
-New York's Sean Avery got airborn:
-Shootout goals by Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec gave the Canadiens a crazy 4-3 comeback win at Anaheim. A goal with 11 seconds left by Andrei Markov sent the game into overtime. Jaroslav Halak came on in relief of Carey Price and made 21 saves to earn the victory. Ryan Getzlaf led the Ducks with two assists.
-Gionta's goal was a little goofy:
-Halak accidently took out his own defenseman, Jaroslav Spacek:
-The Senators demoted forward Zack Smith to Binghamton of the AHL.
-Jennifer Botterill, a forward with Canada's women's Olympic team and the sister of Penguin assistant general manager Jason Botterill, took part in a pregame ceremony prior to Saturday's Maple Leafs-Senators game:
Southeast Division
-Manny Legace (above, denying Atlanta's Nik Antropov) made 27 saves and led the Hurricanes to a 4-0 shutout of his former team, the Thrashers. Jussi Jokinen led Carolina with a goal and an assist while Sergei Samsonov recorded two assists. The Hurricanes have won seven out of their past eight games.
-Atlanta's Ron Hainsey laid out to block this shot by Carolina's Brandon Sutter:
-Thrashers forward Evander Kane, the club's first-round pick in last year's draft, is dealing with a foot injury.
-This is from Saturday but check out this dangerous hit by Tampa Bay's Steve Downie on Atlanta's Marty Reasoner, then a follow-up hit by Atlanta's Clarke MacArthur on Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis:
Central Division
-Valtteri Filppula, Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings in a 5-4 defeat of the rival Blackhawks. Todd Bertuzzi and Henrik Zetterberg each recorded two assists for Detroit while Jimmy Howard made 28 saves in the victory. Andrew Ladd led Chicago with a hat trick.
-Check out this steal by Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk and the resulting goal:
-For our money, there is no more complete player in the NHL than Datsyuk.
-A disallowed goal by Kane proved to be huge.
-Ladd's hat trick:
-Happy times for Detroit:
-Happy times for the Blackhawks:
-Happy times for Ladd. Not so much for Detroit's Brett Lebda:
-Chicago's Duncan Keith had issues with the face of Detroit's Tomas Holmstrom:
-Awkward Photo of the Day: Holmstrom and Chicago's Cristobal Huet:
-Chicago's Antti Niemi replacing Huet:
-Bertuzzi suffered a leg injury.
-Chicago's goaltending is once again an issue.
Northwest Division
-Scoreboard Watch for the Penguins: Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers (above, with Aaron Johnson) made 22 saves and led the OIlers to a 2-0 shutout of the Devils. Former Penguins defenseman Martin Skoula made his New Jersey debut. He had 21:03 of ice time, one shot, one blocked shot and was a minus-1. The Devils are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Atlantic Division with 79 points, five fewer than the Penguins who are in second and first place respectively.
-"There is definitely reason for concern because this is the time of year
where the games get cranked up with the intensity and battle level and
we’re not at that level." - Devils captain Jamie Langenbrunner.
-"We deserved to lose." - Devils forward Zach Parise.
-For some bizarre reason, Devils enforcer Andrew Peters tried to fight Oilers defenseman and former Penguin Ryan Whitney. In the process, he made contact with an official.
-Cool Photo of the Day: Drouin-Deslauriers and New Jersey's Brian Rolston:
-Henrik Sedin had a goal and an assist for the Canucks in a 4-2 win at Nashville. Roberto Luongo made 33 saves for the Canucks who have won three out of their past four games.
-Check out this kick pass by Vancouver's Pavol Demitra which helped set up a goal Alexander Edler:
-Happy times for Luongo and Christian Ehrhoff:
-Luongo cares not for Gatorade towels:
-Nashville's Pekka Rinne had issues on this goal by Vancouver's Jannik Hansen:
-Jarome Iginla had a hat trick and an assist for the Flames in a 5-2 win at Minnesota. Rene Bourque contributed a goal and three assists while teammate Mark Giordano contributed a goal and an assist. Vesa Toskala made 27 saves in his first start for the Flames. Guillaume Latendresse scored both of the Wild's goals.
-Iginla's hat trick:
-Check out Latendresse's first goal:
-Check out this little bit of robbery by Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom on Calgary's Craig Conroy:
-Happy times for Latendresse:
-The Xcel Energy Center had its 400th consecutive sell out:
-Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck suffered a leg injury.
Pacific Division
-Bob Miller, the Kings' version of Mike Lange, is dealing with the shingles.
Adams Division
-Mercyhurst's women's team were seeded No. 1 in the eight-team field for the NCAA tournament. They will face Boston University Saturday at 2 p.m.
(Photos: Bruins/Penguins-Justin K. Aller/Getty Images and Keith Srakocic/Associated Press; Murphy and Pratt-eBay; Malone-Bruce Bennett/Getty Images; Maple Leafs/Flyers-Jim McIsaac/Getty Images and Matt Slocum/Associated Press; Sabres/Rangers-Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press; Hurricanes/Thrashers-Gregory Smith/Associated Press; Red Wings/Blackhawks-Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images and Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press; Devils/Oilers-Canadian Press; Canucks/Predators-Mark Humphrey/Associated Press; Flames/Wild-Tom Olmscheid/Associated Press)
Mar 07 2010
PREGAME
Greetings from a wonderful late winter day in Pittsburgh. It's in the
high 40s and completely sunny. No clouds whatsoever. We were running
late so only a few pregame photos. Sorry. Consol Energy Center:
-Mellon Arena:
-A Ron Francis fan:
-Bobby Orr has one fan here:
-The ice:
-A Jaromir Jagr fan:
-This young lady is either a really big Sidney Crosby fan, or hopeful
for some socialized medicine:
-A Milan Kraft Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins jersey with a St.
Patrick Day theme:
(That jersey should burst into flames just being that close to a
Mario Lemieux Team Canada jersey.)
-This is an all-timer. A Michel Dion jersey:
(To this day, Dion is the only Penguins goaltender to go to an All-Star Game.)
-Ray Bourque:
-Does the Penguins' rivalry with the Blues in the late 1960s excuse
this Erik Johnson jersey?
-Marc Savard:
-Zdeno Chara Winter Classic:
-Miroslav Satan still has one fan here:
-Warm ups:
-The announcement of Mark Recchi as a starter brings a mixture of
boos and mostly cheers.
-Bill Guerin is once again scratched along with Eric Godard and Jay
McKee.
-The Bruins' scratches are former Penguin Andrew Ference, Vladimir
Sobotka, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask.
-Marc-Andre Fleury and Tim Thomas are your starting goaltenders.
-Jeff Jimerson dominates:
FIRST PERIOD
20:00: The Penguins lines look like this according to FSN
Pittsburgh:
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Fedotenko-Malkin-Ponikarovsky
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Rupp-Adams-Talbot
-And the defense
Gonchar-Eaton
Orpik-Letang
Goligoski-Leopold
18:36: Chris Kunitz snaps off a wrister from the left wing.
Thomas fights it off. Kunitz crashes in on the rebound which flutters up
and is gloved by Thomas.
17:26: A puck comes out to the left point. Chara steps up and
blasts a big slapper. It hits some poor soul and deflects into the
netting.
17:10: Craig Adams runs over Johnny Boychuk in the corner.
16:33: Tyler Kennedy snaps of a wrister from the left circle.
It hits the side of the cage. Kennedy recovers his own rebound, turns
and repeats. This time Thomas covers the puck.
15:02: Kunitz gains the blue line and blasts a slapper from
the left wing. Thomas makes the easy save.
14:49: Evgeni Malkin bodies a defender off the buck behind the
Boston net, turns and distributes to Fedotenko in the slot. Fedotenko
falls but get a shot off. Thomas fights it off.
14:32: Brooks Orpik is nabbed for tripping David Krejci in the
slot. That's two minutes. Sergei Gonchar, Matt Cooke, Jordan Staal and
Mark Eaton take the ice.
13:46: Savard chips a cross ice pass to Chara at the right
half wall. Chara unleases a one-timer which Fleury fights off with a
"thud."
12:56: Jordan Leopold intercepts a pass just inside his blue
line and calmly plays it down ice off the boards. With that No. 4 on his
back, that looked very Scuderian.
12:32: Orpik's penalty is killed. The Bruins generated very
little that two minutes.
11:33: Crosby and Kunitz have a little give and go to the left
of the Bruins net. Kunitz chips a little shot low. Thomas boots it out.
Nice little play by Crosby and Kunitz.
10:48: Evgeni Malkin backhand chips a puck to Ruslan Fedotenko
into the slot. Fedotenko rushes in and puts a quick shot on net. Thomas
holds it out despite having Fedotenko crash into him. That hit
dislodges the net. Alexei Ponikarovsky loses his footing and crashes
into the cage. That spawns countless, "How many Ukranians does it
take to move a net" jokes.
8:55: A pretty rough shift for Eaton concludes with him going
to the box for high sticking Krejci. Eaton failed to keep a puck in at
the Bruins blue line then had a turnover in his own zone. Kris Letang,
Cooke, Staal and Orpik take the ice.
8:17: Chara sneaks a wrister through traffic from the right
point. Fleury fights it off.
8:08: Cooke steals a puck along the wall and whips it down ice
to kill time and get a line change.
7:29: Leopold flops down in the slot and breaks up a pass.
Another Scuderian moment.
7:03: Orpik chases down a loose puck near the right faceoff
circle and chips it down ice. That essentially kills off the rest of
Eaton's penalty. Another solid effort for the Penguins penalty killers.
6:14: Off a faceoff win by Crosby, Kennedy fights off a
checker and rips a wrister on net from the left circle. Thomas makes the
save.
5:23: Ponikarovsky leaves the ice with trainer Chris Stewart.
We don't have the best perspective, but it looked like Ponikarovsky's
left leg was a little tender. Hopefully Ray Shero kept that receipt.
5:12: Malkin glides up the left wing and leaves a drop pass
for Crosby trailing. Crosby picks it up and rips a wrister which Thomas
fights it off.
3:26: Michael Ryder moves in from the right wing, turns and
releases a heavy wrist shot from the slot. Fleury fights that off.
1:18: Fedotenko and Thomas get tangled up. Both players go
down. Fedotenko is called for goaltender interference. Talbot, Adams,
Orpik and Letang take the ice.
1:01: Talbot pushes the puck up the left wing and goes ALLLLLLLL
the way around the boards maintaining possesssion and deals the
puck back down ice to Letang. Nice play by Talbot to eat some clock.
0:02: Off a faceoff win, Dennis Wideman blasts a one-timer
from the left point which sails wide on the far side.
0:00: End of period. Bruins 0, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-That was a pretty good period for the Penguins. They controlled the
play for the most part in the Bruins' zone. If not for some quality play
by Thomas and a few penalties, the Penguins migh thave a lead.
-Chris Kunitz is looking really good. He has something with Crosby.
-The Penguins lines are pretty much all over the place. Michel
Therrien would be proud.
-Jordan Leopld is playing really well.
-Zdeno Chara has been the Bruins' best player.
-No word yet on Ponikarovsky's status.
-The Penguins have a 10-3 lead in shots.
-Kunitz and Kennedy each lead the game with three.
-Chara leads the game with 9:56 of ice time.
-Kris Letang leads the game with 7:35.
-The Bruins have a 10-9 edge in faceoffs.
-Patrice Bergeron, one of the best faceoff specialists in the league,
is 3 for 3 (100 percent).
-Crosby is 5 for 8 (63 percent).
-Leopold and Mark Stuart each lead the game with two blocked shots.
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: Ponikarovsky returns to the ice. The Bruins will begin
the period with 41 seconds of power play time. Eaotn, Staal, Cooke and
Orpik take the ice.
19:42: Wideman snaps off a wrister from the left point. Fleury
knocks it down and covers.
19:21: Staal blocks a big slapper by Wideman and is injured by
the shot. He slides into the boards on his knees. The puck comes around
to him. He gets up and musters enough strength to slap it down ice.
That kills off the rest of the penalty. Impressive stuff. He labors to
the bench.
18:30: Just as Dupuis drops Boychuck with a hit behind the
Bruins net, Eaton grips and rips a wrister on net from the right half
wall. Thomas gloves it.
17:45: Another penalty for the Penguins. This time Malkin goes
to the box for hooking Chara. Staal, Cooke, Eaton and Gonchar take the
ice.
17:21: Wideman attemps his 1,013rd shot of the period. This
time it hits Blake Wheeler in the back.
16:48: Marco Strum attemps a shot from the left of the cage.
Fleury initially denies him. Sturm gets the puck back and plays it
across the crease. Wheeler is on the other side and plays it into Fleury
who is sprawling on the ice. Fleury tries to trap it against his body
with his right arm. Wheeler digs it out and plays it into the cage.
Adams and others protest the call. The goal stands. Sturm and Krejci get
assists. Bruins 1-0.
16:17: Fedotenko is tripped up by Ryder. The crowd
roars its approval at the officials finally giving the Bruins a penalty.
Alex Goligoski, Gonchar, Crosby, Malkin and Kunitz take the ice.
14:41: Ponikarovsky runs over Krejci along the boards.
14:17: The Ryder penalty is killed. The Penguins did very
little with that chance.
12:04: Bergeron juuuust steps out of the way of a big
hip check by Dupuis.
11:03: Dupuis puts on his hard hat and just goes to work. He
chips the puck from behind the net to Crosby in the corner on the left
wing. Crosby dishes it back to Dupuis who comes around to the front and
just tries to jam it by Thomas' left foot. Thomas holds it out initally
but Dupuis just keeps stabbing, stabbing and stabbing at it (with some
help from Mike Rupp) and finally gets it by Thomas. The Bruins protest.
The Penguins celebrate. The officials review the goal and confirm the
call on the ice. Crosby and Rupp get assists.The "Hey Song" is played. Bruins
1, Penguins 1.
10:51: Malkin almost makes a nifty back kick for a goal from
the slot. It would not have counted, but it was pretty.
10:01: Thomas gloves a slapper from the right point by Letang.
Fedotenko and Stuart mix it up something fierce in the slot. A big
scrum ensues. Fedotenko and Stuart are given roughing minors.
Four-on-four.
8:18: Dupuis hustles down the right wing against Dennis
Seidenberg, fakes a slapper, gets a little space on Seidenberg, tricks
Thomas a bit and sneaks a wrister by Thomas which clinks off the near
post
7:36: Malkin mvoes up the the right wing, moves towards the
cage and chips a little wrister on net. Thomas fights it off.
6:21: Leopold takes a pass coming from the right point and
rips a wrister. Thomas makes a nice glove save.
5:56: Attendance is announced as 17,132. It is a complete
standing room only sell out. It is the 152nd consecutive sell out.
5:32: Ponikarovsky slam Bergeron into the corner and drops
him.
4:16: Kunitz works the puck up the right wing and creates a
two-on-one with Crosby against Wideman. Kunitz forces a pass which
Wideman kicks out by accident almost. Kunitz needs to shoot that.
2:22: Seidenberg rips a wrister from the right point. Despite a
slight screen by Satan, Fleury hangs on.
1:52: Kunitz hustles up the right wing and deals a pass on the
left wing to Letang. With Dupuis crashing the net, Letang strikes a
one-timer to the far side which Thomas boots out with his left foot.
Thomas covers the rebound. A small scrum ensues.
0:08: Kunitz gets away with a slight trip on Savard at the
Bruins' blue line.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Bruins 1.
-Things picked up a bit in the third period there. Lots of skating.
More than a few shots on net and a few quality scoring chances. Some
hitting.
-That said, this game isn't all that intense. Not a lot of extra
stuff after the whistle.
-Chris Kunitz is having a heck of a game. He's skating really well,
going to the net and create plenty of chances.
-Dupuis sure is making a case to be a regular on the first line once
Guerin returns.
-Tim Thomas is the story of this game. If not for him, the Penguins
are at least in the lead.
-The Penguins have a 22-11 lead in shots.
-Dupuis leads the game with five shots.
-Kunitz is second with four.
-Recchi leads the Bruins with three. Fire Ray Shero.
-Chara leads the game with 18:01 of ice time.
-Goligoski leads the Penguins with 14:22. Huh?
-The Burins have a 23-18 lead in faceoffs (56 percent).
-Bergeron is 8 for 10 (80 percent).
-Crosby is 7 for 12 (58 percent).
-Leopold, Letang and Stuart each lead the game with two blocked
shots.
THIRD PERIOD
19:12: Cooke rams Boychuk into the boards in the corner on the
right wing. Cooke ends up getting the worst of the hit and lands on his
butt.
18:33: And that second line starts to show some chemistry.
Ponikarovsky dishes to Malkin on the right wing. Malkin coasts up the
right wing and chops a shot from the circle. Ponikarovsky and a defender
are in front on a slight screen. The shot beats Thomas on the near side
by his glove hand. Malkin gets credit for the goal although it looked
like Ponikarovsky attempted a slight re-direct. Ponikarovsky gets the
only assist. The "Hey Song" always has chemistry. Penguins 2-1.
16:31: Crosby works his way up the ice, slides towards the
slot and whips a wrister on net which Thomas eats up.
14:32: Letang sneaks up the right wing and leaves a drop pass
for Kennedy. Kennedy strikes a slapper on net which gets by Thomas and
clunks off the far post. Argh. That WWE "KENNEDY!" clip was cued up we
bet.
13:40: Dupuis battles for possession behind the net and deals
to Kunitz in the left circle. Kunitz whips a wrister on net. Thomas
fights it off.
12:52: Crosby and Kunitz have another give and go entering the
offensive zone. Crosby gets the puck, moves in off the left wing and
pushes a backhander into Thomas who holds it out. The net is dislodged
and play is halted. Kunitz and Crosby have some serious chemistry going.
11:53: Letang deals a pass to Cooke in the left circle. Cooke
snaps off a wrister which Thomas gets a piece of with his right
shoulder.
10:59: Goligoski lifts a wrister from the slot. Thomas eats it
up.
9:58: Orpik chops a slapper from the left point which almost
appears to hit Thomas by accident. Either way, it's a save.
9:29: Kennedy rips another wrister from the right wing. Thomas
gets a piece of it with his blocker. Thomas was in pretty bad position
for that shot.
9:07: Ryder chops a slapper from the right half wall. Fleury
makes the save. The rebound hops out into the slot. A few players scrum
for it. Fleury pokes it away slightly with his stick. Letang is able to
skate it out of danger.
8:11: Malkin coasts up the right wing, draws a defender and
centers the pass Fedotenko. Fedotenko has a clear shot but Wheeler makes
a marvelous diving backcheck and pokes the puck away. What a play by
Wheeler. He kept his team in the game with that play.
7:51: Kunitz snaps off a wrister from the slot. Thomas fights
it off.
6:29: Fleury fights off a wrister by Daniel Paille from the
right wing.
5:37: Play is halted as Savard is laying on the ice. Cooke
absolutely coldcocked him in the side of hte head from the blindside
with an elbow. That is so dirty. Cooke should and will be suspended for
that. Cooke is a very valuable component of this team, but he's one of
the dirtiest players in this league. We would dare say Sean Avery has
more honor on the ice than Cooke. A stretcher is brought as trainers
from both teams attend to Savard. He's placed on a backboard and lifted
on to the stretcher. Fans offer a pretty loud standing ovation for
Savard. He waves his hand as to signal he's fine. No penalty. Unbelieveable.
3:11: Chara air mails a slapper from the neutral zone. Fleury
deadens it with his chest and calmly catches it with his glove.
1:21: Malkin puts a shot on net.Fedotenko crashes in and bumps
Thomas into the net. Play is halted. Malkin chips the puck into the
cage. Thomas gently whips the puck at Malkin in protest.
1:10: Thomas is pulled for an extra attacker.
0:39: The Bruins call a time out to get organized.
0:32: Fleury fights off a wrister by Seidenberg on the right
wing.
0:02: A last second slapper by Wideman from the right point is
blocked in front by a cluster of bodies.
0:00: End of game. The "Woo-Hoo" song is played. Penguins
2, Bruins 1.
POSTGAME
-What's wrong with this picture? We just saw a fairly entertaining,
hard-fought game between two teams which could meet in the first round
of the playoffs. But what are we all talking about? Another player being
seriously injured by an unnecessary hit to the head.
-First things first. Bruins coach Claude Julien outright described
Savard's injury as a "concussion." Savard will spend the night in a Pittsburgh hotel with a member of the team's meidical staff and will return to the team at a later time.
-The hit:
-We don't know what to say. There's no penalty on the hit. There's
four officials? How does not one of them pick that up?
-If this a game played under IIHF rules, Cooke is kicked out for the
rest of the game and the next at the very least. No arguement. Per IIHF
rules, you hit an opponent in the head, BOOM. You sit. No phone call. No
hearing. Automatic ruling.
-Yet, Colin Campbell is going to call Matt Cooke tomorrow. A hearing
will be held out on the phone and he'll likely get a suspension of a few
games.
-We went to the Bruins' locker room after the game. As you can
imagine, more than a few of them were mad. We'll transcribe quotes in a
bit.
-Cooke was suspended two games earlier this season for a hit to the
head of Rangers forward Artem Anisimov:
-Beyond that ugliness, this was a very nice game. There weren't a ton
of goals, but it didn't lessen the entertainment value whatsoever. Both
goaltenders particularly Tim Thomas, were strong.
-Chris Kunitz continues to look light years better than before he sat
for his injury. He has some chemistry going with Crosby.
-More good stuff from Alexei Ponikarovsky. His screen set up Evgeni
Malkin's game winning goal.
-Malkin has two game-winners in three games.
-Jordan Leopold continues to look solid. He's not a big, rugged type,
but he plays sound positional defense. Much like the previous No. 4 on
this team.
-Fleury was very strong. If not for a strong effort by the Bruins to
crash the net, he might have a shutout.
-Tim Thomas was by far the best player in this game. He faced a ton
of quality shots and put his team in a position to win.
-The Penguins had their best defensive game in quite a while. They
really limited the amout of quality chances the Bruins had.
-Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman speaks. On the hit:
"I
didn’t see it, but I don’t know. It was obviously something where he
caught him in the head. But I’m sure the league will take a look at
that. That’s all I’m going to say about it."
On Cooke:
"If it was Cooke, I’m not surprised."
-Bruins coach Claude Julien speaks. On the hit:
"It’s
probably the classic blindside hit to the head. And after watching the
replay, I’m usually pretty reserved in making comments and definitely
the league will take care of it. You have to trust they’ll make the
right decision. It was a blindside hit to the head and that’s what we’re
trying to get rid of."
What's the the appropriate response form the league?
"You
know what it is. A guy like that has to be suspended. And that’s the
way I see it because it’s an elbow to the head from a blindside and
that’s exactly the examples they show of what we got to get out of this
game. We got a guy who has concussion – our best player – and he’s going
to be out for a while. He was out on the ice for a bit and it’s
unacceptable."
Savard's condition:
"It’s a
concussion. How severe, I don’t know. We haven’t been able to evaluate
that yet. He was out for a bit. When you’re out for a bit, that’s
serious enough."
On the non-penalty:
"You
got four (officials) out there. You think somebody would see it. Even
myself, I was looking elsewhere. You got to look at it objectively, and
say ‘nobody’s seen it.’ But when you back look at the replays which we
have an opportunity to do, it’s pretty obvious that was definitely a
dirty hit."
On Cooke:
"I don’t know guys. I
really don’t care about Cooke. We know his reputation. That’s all I’m
going to say about that guy. I’m worried about my player. Not Cooke."
On
Dupuis' and Wheeler's goals:
"That’s a decision you have
to make as a referee, whether you blow the whistle or not. Both times,
they didn’t blow and the puck ended in the net. Which ever way you look
at it, it evened out didn’t it?"
Did he have to tell his team to stay composed after the hit:
"Absolutely.
Many times when you see something like that, it’s frustrating, you’re
thinking of revenge. First and foremost, you want to get back at this
guy. But at the same time, you go to win a hockey game here. So yeah, I
had to keep our team under control and make them realize we had to win a
hockey game here."
On the hit again:
"You
guys have heard the rules right? They don’t want any hits to the head.
They don’t want any blindside hits to the head. You couldn’t ask for a
better example. That’s all I’m going to say."
-The Penguins ended up with a 33-22 lead in shots.
-Chris Kunitz lead with six shots.
-Blake Wheeler, Mark Recchi, Steve Begin and Zdeno Chara each led
Boston with three. Fire Ray Shero.
-Wideman led the game with 25:45 of ice time.
-Gonchar led the Penguins with 21:51.
-The Bruins led in faceoffs, 35-27 (56 percent).
-Bergeron was 13 for 18 (72 percent).
-Cooke (2 for 2) was the only Penguin over 50 percent.)
-Crosby was 10 for 21 (48 percent).
-Chara led the with four blocked shots. That said, Chara is so big,
he probably blocks the flight patterns of birds.
-Leopold and Letang each led the game with two blocked shots.
-Ponikarovsky has two points in two games with the Penguins.
-Malkin has points in 15 of his past 16 games.
-Semi-random find on our way down to the Bruins' locker room. A Kevin Stevens road jersey in the late 1990s/early 2000s style:
-Game
summary.
-Event
summary.
-Highlights.
Mar 07 2010
POSTGAME
-What's wrong with this picture? We just saw a fairly entertaining, hard-fought game between two teams which could meet in the first round of the playoffs. But what are we all talking about? Another player being seriously injured by an unnecessary hit to the head.
-First things first. Bruins coach Claude Julien outright described Savard's injury as a "concussion." Savard will spend the night in a hospital with a member of the team's medical team and will return to the team at a later time.
-The hit:
-We don't know what to say. There's no penalty on the hit. There's four officials? How does not one of them pick that up?
-If this a game played under IIHF rules, Cooke is kicked out for the rest of the game and the next at the very least. No arguement. Per IIHF rules, you hit an opponent in the head, BOOM. You sit. No phone call. No hearing. Automatic ruling.
-Yet, Colin Campbell is going to call Matt Cooke tomorrow. A hearing will be held out on the phone and he'll likely get a suspension of a few games.
-We went to the Bruins' locker room after the game. As you can imagine, more than a few of them were mad. We'll transcribe quotes in a bit.
-Cooke was suspended two games earlier this season for a hit to the head of Rangers forward Artem Anisimov:
-Beyond that ugliness, this was a very nice game. There weren't a ton of goals, but it didn't lessen the entertainment value whatsoever. Both goaltenders particularly Tim Thomas, were strong.
-Chris Kunitz continues to look light years better than before he sat for his injury. He has some chemistry going with Crosby.
-More good stuff from Alexei Ponikarovsky. His screen set up Evgeni Malkin's game winning goal.
-Malkin has two game-winners in three games.
-Jordan Leopold continues to look solid. He's not a big, rugged type, but he plays sound positional defense. Much like the previous No. 4 on this team.
-Fleury was very strong. If not for a strong effort by the Bruins to crash the net, he might have a shutout.
-Tim Thomas was by far the best player in this game. He faced a ton of quality shots and put his team in a position to win.
-The Penguins had their best defensive game in quite a while. They really limited the amout of quality chances the Bruins had.
-Bruins defenseman Dennis Wideman speaks. On the hit:
"I didn’t see it, but I don’t know. It was obviously something where he caught him in the head. But I’m sure the league will take a look at that. That’s all I’m going to say about it."
On Cooke:
"If it was Cooke, I’m not surprised."
-Bruins coach Claude Julien speaks. On the hit:
"It’s probably the classic blindside hit to the head. And after watching the replay, I’m usually pretty reserved in making comments and definitely the league will take care of it. You have to trust they’ll make the right decision. It was a blindside hit to the head and that’s what we’re trying to get rid of."
What's the the appropriate response form the league?
"You know what it is. A guy like that has to be suspended. And that’s the way I see it because it’s an elbow to the head from a blindside and that’s exactly the examples they show of what we got to get out of this game. We got a guy who has concussion – our best player – and he’s going to be out for a while. He was out on the ice for a bit and it’s unacceptable."
Savard's condition:
"It’s a concussion. How severe, I don’t know. We haven’t been able to evaluate that yet. He was out for a bit. When you’re out for a bit, that’s serious enough."
On the non-penalty:
"You got four (officials) out there. You think somebody would see it. Even myself, I was looking elsewhere. You got to look at it objectively, and say ‘nobody’s seen it.’ But when you back look at the replays which we have an opportunity to do, it’s pretty obvious that was definitely a dirty hit."
On Cooke:
"I don’t know guys. I really don’t care about Cooke. We know his reputation. That’s all I’m going to say about that guy. I’m worried about my player. Not Cooke."
On Dupuis' and Wheeler's goals:
"That’s a decision you have to make as a referee, whether you blow the whistle or not. Both times, they didn’t blow and the puck ended in the net. Which ever way you look at it, it evened out didn’t it?"
Did he have to tell his team to stay composed after the hit:
"Absolutely. Many times when you see something like that, it’s frustrating, you’re thinking of revenge. First and foremost, you want to get back at this guy. But at the same time, you go to win a hockey game here. So yeah, I had to keep our team under control and make them realize we had to win a hockey game here."
On the hit again:
"You guys have heard the rules right? They don’t want any hits to the head. They don’t want any blindside hits to the head. You couldn’t ask for a better example. That’s all I’m going to say."
-The Penguins ended up with a 33-22 lead in shots.
-Chris Kunitz lead with six shots.
-Blake Wheeler, Mark Recchi, Steve Begin and Zdeno Chara each led Boston with three. Fire Ray Shero.
-Wideman led the game with 25:45 of ice time.
-Gonchar led the Penguins with 21:51.
-The Bruins led in faceoffs, 35-27 (56 percent).
-Bergeron was 13 for 18 (72 percent).
-Cooke (2 for 2) was the only Penguin over 50 percent.)
-Crosby was 10 for 21 (48 percent).
-Chara led the with four blocked shots. That said, Chara is so big, he probably blocks the flight patterns of birds.
-Leopold and Letang each led the game with two blocked shots.
-Ponikarovsky has two points in two games with the Penguins.
-Malkin has points in 15 of his past 16 games.
-Game summary.
-Event summary.
-Highlights
Mar 07 2010
SECOND PERIOD
20:00: Ponikarovsky returns to the ice. The Bruins will begin the period with 41 seconds of power play time. Eaotn, Staal, Cooke and Orpik take the ice.
19:42: Wideman snaps off a wrister from the left point. Fleury knocks it down and covers.
19:21: Staal blocks a big slapper by Wideman and is injured by the shot. He slides into the boards on his knees. The puck comes around to him. He gets up and musters enough strength to slap it down ice. That kills off the rest of the penalty. Impressive stuff. He labors to the to the bench.
18:30: Just as Dupuis drops Boychuck with a hit behind the Bruins net, Eaton grips and rips a wrister on net from the right half wall. Thomas gloves it.
17:45: Another penalty for the Penguins. This time Malkin goes to the box for hooking Chara. Staal, Cooke, Eaton and Gonchar take the ice.
17:21: Wideman attemps his 1,013rd shot of the period. This time it hits Bake Wheeler in the back.
16:48: Marco Strum attemps a shot from the left of the cage. Fleury initially denies him. Sturm gets the puck back and plays it across the crease. Wheeler is on the other side and plays it into Fleury who is sprawling on the ice. Fleury tries to trap it against his body with his right arm. Wheeler digs it out and plays it into the cage. Adams and others protest the call. The goal stands. Sturm and Krejci get assists. Bruins 1-0.
16:17: Fedotenko is tripped up by Ryder. The crowd roars its approval at the officials finally giving the Bruins a penalty. Alex Goligoski, Gonchar, Crosby, Malkin and Kunitz take the ice.
14:41: Ponikarovsky runs over Krejci along the boards.
14:17: The Ryder penalty is killed. The Penguins did very little with that chance.
12:04: Bergeron juuuust steps out of the way of a big hip check by Dupuis.
11:03: Dupuis puts on his hard hat and just goes to work. He chips the puck from behind the net to Crosby in the corner on the left wing. Crosby dishes it back to Dupuis who comes around to the front and just tries to jam it by Thomas' left foot. Thomas holds it out initally but Dupuis just keeps stabbing, stabbing and stabbing at it (with some help from Mike Rupp) and finally gets it by Thomas. The Bruins protest. The Penguins celebrate. The officials review the goal and confirm the call on the ice. Crosby and Rupp get assists.The "Hey Song" is played. Bruins 1, Penguins 1.
10:51: Malkin almost makes a nifty back kick for a goal from
the slot. It would not have counted, but it was pretty.
10:01: Thomas gloves a slapper from the right point by Letang. Fedotenko and Stuart mix it up something fierce in the slot. A big scrum ensues. Fedotenko and Stuart are given roughing minors. Four-on-four.
8:18: Dupuis hustles down the right wing against Dennis Seidenberg, fakes a slapper, gets a little space on Seidenberg, tricks Thomas a bit and sneaks a wrister by Thomas which clinks off the near post
7:36: Malkin mvoes up the the right wing, moves towards the cage and chips a little wrister on net. Thomas fights it off.
6:21: Leopold takes a pass coming from the right point and rips a wrister. Thomas makes a nice glove save.
5:56: Attendance is announced as 17,132. It is a complete standing room only sell out. It is the 152nd consecutive sell out.
5:32: Ponikarovsky slam Bergeron into the corner and drops him.
4:16: Kunitz works the puck up the right wing and creates a two-on-one with Crosby against Wideman. Kunitz forces a pass which Wideman kicks out by accident almost. Kunitz needs to shoot that.
2:22: Seidenberg rips a wrister from the right point. Despite a slight screen by Satan, Fleury hangs on.
1:52: Kunitz hustles up the right wing and deals a pass on the left wing to Letang. With Dupuis crashing the net, Letang strikes a one-timer to the far side which Thomas boots out with his left foot. Thomas covers the rebound. A small scrum ensues.
0:08: Kunitz gets away with a slight trip on Savard at the Bruins' blue line.
0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Bruins 1.
-Things picked up a bit in the third period there. Lots of skating. More than a few shots on net and a few quality scoring chances. Some hitting.
-That said, this game isn't all that intense. Not a lot of extra stuff after the whistle.
-Chris Kunitz is having a heck of a game. He's skating really well, going to the net and create plenty of chances.
-Dupuis sure is making a case to be a regular on the first line once Guerin returns.
-Tim Thomas is the story of this game. If not for him, the Penguins are at least in the lead.
-The Penguins have a 22-11 lead in shots.
-Dupuis leads the game with five shots.
-Kunitz is second with four.
-Recchi leads the Bruins with three. Fire Ray Shero.
-Chara leads the game with 18:01 of ice time.
-Goligoski leads the Penguins with 14:22. Huh?
-The Burins have a 23-18 lead in faceoffs (56 percent).
-Bergeron is 8 for 10 (80 percent).
-Crosby is 7 for 12 (58 percent).
-Leopold, Letang and Stuart each lead the game with two blocked shots.
-Click here for the third period.
Mar 07 2010
FIRST PERIOD
20:00: The Penguins lines look like this according to FSN Pittsburgh:
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Fedotenko-Malkin-Ponikarovsky
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Rupp-Adams-Talbot
-And the defense
Gonchar-Eaton
Orpik-Letang
Goligoski-Leopold
18:36: Chris Kunitz snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Thomas fights it off. Kunitz crashes in on the rebound which flutters up and is gloved by Thomas.
17:26: A puck comes out to the left point. Chara steps up and blasts a big slapper. It hits some poor soul and deflects into the netting.
17:10: Craig Adams runs over Johnny Boychuk in the corner.
16:33: Tyler Kennedy snaps of a wrister from the left circle. It hits the side of the cage. Kennedy recovers his own rebound, turns and repeats. This time Thomas covers the puck.
15:02: Kunitz gains the blue line and blasts a slapper from the left wing. Thoma makes the east save.
14:49: Evgeni Malkin bodies a defender off the buck behind the Boston net, turns and distributes to Fedotenko in the slot. Fedotenko falls but get a shot off. Thomas fights it off.
14:32: Brooks Orpik is nabbed for tripping David Krejci in the slot. That's two minutes. Sergei Gonchar, Matt Cooke, Jordan Staal and Mark Eaton take the ice.
13:46: Savard chips a cross ice pass to Chara at the right half wall. Chara unleases a one-timer which Fleury fights off with a "thud."
12:56: Jordan Leopold intercepts a pass just inside his blue line and calmly plays it down ice off the boards. With that No. 4 on his back, that looked very Scuderian.
12:32: Orpik's penalty is killed. The Bruins generated very little that two minutes.
11:33: Crosby and Kunitz have a little give and go to the left of the Bruins net. Kunitz chips a little shot low. Thomas boots it out. Nice little play by Crosby and Kunitz.
10:48: Evgeni Malkin backhand chips a puck to Ruslan Fedotenko into the slot. Fedotenko rushes in and puts a quick shot on net. Thomas holds it out despite having Fedotenko crash into him. That hit dislodges the net. Alexei Ponikarovsky loses his footing and crashes into the cage. That spawns countless, "How many Ukranians does it take to move a net" jokes.
8:55: A pretty rough shift for Eaton concludes with him going to the box for high sticking Krejci. Eaton failed to keep a puck in at the Bruins blue line then had a turnover in his own zone. Kris Letang, Cooke, Staal and Orpik take the ice.
8:17: Chara sneaks a wrister through traffic from the right point. Fleury fights it off.
8:08: Cooke steals a puck along the wall and whips it down ice to kill time and get a line change.
7:29: Leopold flops down in the slot and breaks up a pass. Another Scuderian moment.
7:03: Orpik chases down a loose puck near the right faceoff circle and chips it down ice. That essentially kills off the rest of Eaton's penalty. Another solid effort for the Penguins penalty killers.
6:14: Off a faceoff win by Crosby, Kennedy fights off a checker and rips a wrister on net from the left circle. Thomas makes the save.
5:23: Ponikarovsky leaves the ice with trainer Chris Stewart. We don't have the best perspective, but it looked like Ponikarovsky's left leg was a little tender. Hopefully Ray Shero kept that receipt.
5:12: Malkin glides up the left wing and leaves a drop pass for Crosby trailing. Crosby picks it up and rips a wrister which Thomas fights it off.
3:26: Michael Ryder moves in from the right wing, turns and releases a heavy wrist shot from the slot. Fleury fights that off.
1:18: Fedotenko and Thomas get tangled up. Both players go down. Fedotenko is called for goaltender interference. Talbot, Adams, Orpik and Letang take the ice.
1:01: Talbot pushes the puck up the left wing and goes ALLLLLLLL the way around the boards maintaining possesssion and deals the puck back down ice to Letang. Nice play by Talbot to eat some clock.
0:02: Off a faceoff win, Dennis Wideman blasts a one-timer from the left point which sails wide on the far side.
0:00: End of period. Bruins 0, Penguins 0.
FIRST INTERMISSION
-That was a pretty good period for the Penguins. They controlled the play for the most part in the Bruins' zone. If not for some quality play by Thomas and a few penalties, the Penguins migh thave a lead.
-Chris Kunitz is looking really good. He has something with Crosby.
-The Penguins lines are pretty much all over the place. Michel Therrien would be proud.
-Jordan Leopld is playing really well.
-Zdeno Chara has been the Bruins' best player.
-No word yet on Ponikarovsky's status.
-The Penguins have a 10-3 lead in shots.
-Kunitz and Kennedy each lead the game with three.
-Chara leads the game with 9:56 of ice time.
-Kris Letang leads the game with 7:35.
-The Bruins have a 10-9 edge in faceoffs.
-Patrice Bergeron, one of the best faceoff specialists in the league, is 3 for 3 (100 percent).
-Crosby is 5 for 8 (63 percent).
-Leopold and Mark Stuart each lead the game with two blocked shots.
-Click here for the second period.
Mar 07 2010
PREGAME
Greetings from a wonderful late winter day in Pittsburgh. It's in the high 40s and completely sunny. No clouds whatsoever. We were running late so only a few pregame photos. Sorry. Consol Energy Center:
-Mellon Arena:
-A Ron Francis fan:
-Bobby Orr has one fan here:
-The ice:
-A Jaromir Jagr fan:
-This young lady is either a really big Sidney Crosby fan, or hopeful for some socialized medicine:
-A Milan Kraft Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins jersey with a St. Patrick Day theme:
(That jersey should burst into flames just being that close to a Mario Lemieux Team Canada jersey.)
-This is an all-timer. A Michel Dion jersey:
-Ray Bourque:
-Does the Penguins' rivalry with the Blues in the late 1960s excuse this Erik Johnson jersey?
-Marc Savard:
-Zdeno Chara Winter Classic:
-Miroslav Satan still has one fan here:
-Warm ups:
-The announcement of Mark Recchi as a starter brings a mixture of boos and mostly cheers.
-Bill Guerin is once again scratched along with Eric Godard and Jay McKee.
-The Bruins' scratches are former Penguin Andrew Ference, Vladimir Sobotka, Brad Marchand and Tuukka Rask.
-Marc-Andre Fleury and Tim Thomas are your starting goaltenders.
-Jeff Jimerson dominates:
-Click here for the first period.
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