Welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Tonight, our Penguins are in what the locals call "Smashville." That's right, the Pens are in Nashville, Tennessee tonight to take on our old buddy James Neal and the Nashville Predators. Let's get to the fun ladies and gents, let's begin the Pregame.
(NOTE: Since the Pens are in the Country Music capital of the world, tonight's gameday song will be of that persuasion. My choice tonight, Jake Owen's "Keepin' It Country." Enjoy)
The State of the Penguins
The Pens play has been lacking, especially in effort. They appeared to get overly frustrated against Philadelphia when they couldn't get the puck in the zone and tried to do too much. That approach left them frustrated and ultimately led to them giving up. As for in Detroit, they came out flying but then got lazy and sat back. They only went through the motions the last forty-five minutes and were kept afloat by the exceptional play of backup netminder Thomas Greiss. Unfortunately, Greiss couldn't hold on under all the pressure alone and the Pens lost the game.
This is an important time for the Pens and the new coaching staff. Johnston, Tocchet and company need to find a way to reverse the trend that seems to be ingrained in the players that have been here since the Bylsma era began. More importantly, it is important that that mindset is not allowed to be ingrained on guys like Maatta and the new acquisitions. Otherwise, it will be another season of disappointment. Keep a close eye on that over the next few games.
Welcome To Smashville: A Look at the Predators
As I stated above, the Preds are off to a wonderful start! They have yet to lose a game in regulation and currently lead the NHL's toughest division (Central). They are led in scoring by the young center Filip Forsberg who was acquired two years ago for Martin Erat and finally given a shot under Laviolette. Neal and Riberio have been on fire heading into this game and the Preds are relatively healthy, especially in net. This team is no push over, and the Pens should avoid treating them as such.
Here is what you need to know about the Predators going into tonight:
- Preds are 5-0-2 so far this season, good for 12 points and first in the Central Division.
- Tonight is the first of two games between the Preds and Pens this season. Nashville will visit Consol on February 1st.
- The Pens swept the season series in 2013-14, winning 4-1 at Consol on November 15th and 3-1 here in Nashville on March 4th.
- Injuries: Mike Fisher (achilles) OUT tonight. Matt Cullen (lower-body) day-to-day but likely out tonight.
Leading Scorers:
- C Filip Forsberg - 7pts (1G-6A)
- C Mike Riberio - 6pts (3G-3A)
- LW James Neal - 5pts (5G-0A)
- D Ryan Ellis - 5pts (1G-4A)
- Four tied with 4pts (Nystrom, Weber, Gaustad and Roy)
Projected Lines:
- Filip Forsberg - Mike Riberio - James Neal
- Colin Wilson - Derek Roy - Craig Smith
- Olli Jokinen - Calle Jarnkrok - Taylor Beck
- Eric Nystrom - Paul Gaustad - Viktor Stalberg
Projected Defensive Pairs:
- Roman Josi - Shea Weber
- Anton Volchenkov - Seth Jones
- Mattias Ekholm - Ryan Ellis
Projected Power Play Units:
- Roman Josi - Shea Weber, Filip Forsberg - Mike Riberio - James Neal
- Seth Jones - Ryan Ellis, Colin Wilson - Derek Roy - Craig Smith
My Nashville Players To Watch:
- James Neal: The former Penguin's exit from Pittsburgh was definitely not great - which is on the new regime - but has found a home in Nashville now. He has been on a tear this week, including a hat trick on Thursday night. He leads the team in shots with 26 and you know that he wants to prove to the Pens that trading him was a bad move.
- Shea Weber: The captain of the Predators is one of the best defensemen in the NHL. His slapper, that breaks the century mark in speed, is deadly from the point and on the power play. The Pens will need to keep him away from their zone and in his own to be successful against his pair.
- Filip Forsberg: The son of former NHLer Peter Forsberg has had a breakout year thus far. He only got 13 games under the regime of Barry Trotz but has broken out in the offensive scheme of Peter Laviolette. The Preds traded one of their better pieces in Martin Erat to get him in 2013, but it appears now that that move will really pay off for this team. Again, he leads the team in points.
News and Notes from Around the Pens
Projected Lines, Pairs and Power Play Configurations
Lines:
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Blake Comeau - Evgeni Malkin - Pascal Dupuis
- Nick Spaling - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
- Craig Adams - Marcel Goc - Zach Sill
Defensive Corps:
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Paul Martin - Christian Ehrhoff
- Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres
Power Play Units:
- Kris Letang - Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Horqvist
- Olli Maatta - Christian Ehrhoff, Pascal Dupuis - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start in net tonight.
My Keys to Victory
Defensive Responsibility: The Pens have really gone through the motions in their own zone the last few days. In particular, Kris Letang has been crap and even Paul Martin and Ehrhoff haven't been great. It is important that the defenseman pick up their guy and make sure no one sneaks in the back door like they did in the Philly game. This also falls on the forwards, who have failed to aggressively back-check the last two games. That falls on everyone, even Sidney Crosby.
Carry the Puck: The Pens have the skill to carry the puck into the offensive zone even if the neutral zone is blocked up. That means they need to cut the drop passes at the blue line and stop dumping it in when there is no one to chase it. Either carry it in and make moves or backtrack and regroup. Don't be lazy and get frustrated because they won't back down. Attack!
My 3 Players to Watch
Rob Scuderi: Yes, I think he is a key tonight. He has played solid defensively the last few games and has been very good on the penalty kill. He is never a flashy player, but his workman-like play is exactly what the Pens need. Why? Because Rob Scuderi is defensively responsible, something that some of the other players could greatly benefit from becoming. Also, like it or not, Rob Scuderi is the leader of this defensive corps now that Brooks Oprik is gone. He is the voice and the tenured man on the blue line, meaning he is the captain of the corps.
Brandon Sutter; I want to see Sutter get back to the level he was at after the first four games. He has regressed a little the last two and now that he's back o the third line I don't want to see him ease off the throttle. Sutter is a catalyst for this team and he will be counted on at both ends tonight to provide a spark for this team. Frankly, he deserves the "A" on his chest more than Chris Kunitz or Evgeni Malkin.
What You Need To KNow If You're Watching
- Puck drops at 8:00pm on ROOT Sports. Paul Steigerwald is reportedly under the weather, so he is a game-time decision tonight. Bob Errey will have the call regardless. Dan Potash on the interviews.
- Pens Pregame will be on ROOT Sports starting at 7:30pm and the post game will follow the action.
- Pens Radio Net will have the Pregame, the game action and the post game. Their coverage begins with Bob Grove and Steve Kolbe at 7pm. Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will call the game at 8 and Grover will be back for Penguins Hot LIne after the game. 105.9 the X will also have the radio call.
- Their will be a viewing party hosted by Mark Madden and 105.9 the X at the Blue Line Grill across from Consol tonight.