Welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Tonight, the Pens begin a three game homestand against division rival New Jersey. The Devils are off to a solid start and the Penguins hope to throw a wrench in the Devils early season success. With that, let's get the Pregame show started...
Tonight's game day song is from a real legend. He may be a Jersey native, but he is All-American in my book. From one of his newer albums, Wrecking Ball, "Land of Hopes and Dreams" by the Boss, Bruce Springsteen. Enjoy as you read on!
The State of the Penguins
The Pens will open up a three game homestand tonight with the New Jersey Devils. The Pens will host the Devils, the reigning Cup champions LA on Thursday and the Sabres on Saturday. It will be an important week for the Penguins as they look to get back on track and close the month out on a solid note.
All of this is coming with some shocking injury news for the Penguins. The Pens will be getting Bennett and Bortuzzo back within the next two weeks, but the Pens are going to lose defensemen Olli Maatta for a month starting next week. It was announced by GM Jim Rutherford on Monday that the 20 year old defensemen will require surgery next week to remove a tumor from his thyroid gland. There is a high chance that the tumor is cancerous. Rough news for the Pens as Maatta has not only been their best defenseman, but more importantly is so young. The rest of the team just found out about this within 24 hours of the announcement. It will be interesting to see how they rally around their young defenseman.
News & Notes from Around the Pens
Robert Bortuzzo is ready to go but likely won't play tonight. Coach Johnston stated yesterday that he is more likely to go come Thursday against LA and definitely by next week. Bortuzzo has yet to play with that knee injury.
Beau Bennett skated before practice yesterday with Mike Kadar and skated this morning with the boys. He is about 10 days away from when he is eligible to return from LTIR after suffering that knee injury in practice.
Raising Hell: The New Jersey Devils
The Devils revamped their stagnant offense in the offseason. They brought in Mike Cammalleri and Marty Havlat to add to the top six depth. Both players have played well so far. Former Penguin and 42 year old winger Jaromir Jagr still leads this team on the ice but veteran Patrik Elias and the young centerman Adam Henrique are still big pieces on this roster. The offseason saw franchise goalie Marty Brodeur leave the team and now Cory Schneider can play without someone looking over his shoulder. He has played well thus far.
Here is what you need to know about the Devils going forward:
- The Devils are 4-2-2 and sit T-2 in the Metropolitan Division.
- Tonight is the first of five games against New Jersey. The Pens will play one more home game v. NJ on December 2nd. They will play three more in NJ this season: Dec. 29, Jan. 30 and Mar. 17.
- As for the 2013-14 campaign, the Pens and Devils split the season series. Each team won both home games.
- Offseason Additions: LW Mike Cammalleri, RW Marty Havlat, G Scott Clemmensen
- Offseason Subtractions: G Martin Brodeur, D Mark Fayne, D Anton Volchenkov
Leading Scorers (NOTE: Stats as of Sunday, Oct. 26):
- C Adam Henrique - 8pts (3G-5A)
- LW Mike Cammalleri - 7pts (5G-2A)
- D Damon Severson - 7pts (4G-3A)
- RW Jaromir Jagr - 6pts (2G-4A)
- C Patrik Elias - 5pts (1G-4A)
Devils Injuries:
- RW Marty Havlat (facial lacerations) - Day to Day
- RW Jordan Tootoo (foot) - Injured Reserve, OUT v. Pittsburgh
- LW Mike Cammalleri (jaw) - OUT
Projected Lines:
- Dainius Zubrus - Travis Zajac - Jaromir Jagr
- Ryan Clowe - Patrik Elias - Damien Brunner
- Reid Boucher - Adam Henrique - Michael Ryder
- Tuomo Ruutu - Jacob Josefson - Stephen Gionta
- Andy Greene - Damon Severson
- Bryce Salvador - Marek Zidliicky
- Eric Gelinas - Jon Merrill
Here is who I am watching tonight:
- Jaromir Jagr: the former Penguin is very good against his old team. Even at 42, he is a top six talent and can change the course of the game. Without Orpik around to drill him every shift, I will be curious to see how Jagr skates and performs in this game.
- Damon Severson: The rookie defenseman has gotten off to a wonderful start. I am interested to see how he plays tonight, especially on a rather average Devils blue line.
- Travis Zajac: The center has evolved into a very good forward. He usually plays the Pens hard and I expect no less tonight. Being on a line with Jagr helps as well. Expect them to inflict some damage if given the space to do so.
Projected LInes, Pairs and Power Play Configurations
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Pascal Dupuis - Evgeni Malkin - Blake Comeau
- Nick Spaling - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
- Zach Sill - Marcel Goc - Craig Adams
Pairs:
- Christian Ehrhoff - Paul Martin
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Simon Despres - Rob Scuderi
Power Play Configurations:
- Kris Letang - Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Olli Maatta - Christian Ehrhoff, Pascal Dupuis - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net for the Penguins
My Keys To Victory Tonight
Special Teams: The Pens PK enters the game on a 15 straight kill streak. I'd love to see that continue after tonight. Same for the Pens power play. They were solid in Nashville and I want to see that continue tonight against New Jersey.
Mindset: I think in light of the news about Maatta, it will be similar to last season when the news of Letang's stroke. How will the Penguins react to the news? I think it will be a slight factor tonight and I wouldn't be surprised if the Pens get off to a slower start tonight.
My 3 Players To Watch
Patric Hornqvist: I think it will be vital to pester Cory Schneider in his crease and who better to do that than Horny. I think he will have a big game tonight in front of the net, and chip in a point or two as well. Watch for the big Swede in front of the net.
Marc-Andre Fleury: That was a phenomenal performance for the Flower against Nashville, now I want to see him back it up. He hasn't had a bad year at all, but that was the dominant Fleury we have seen at other times. I would love to see it continue tonight.
What yOu Need to Know for Attending and Watching
- Doors open at 6:00pm tonight.
- Puck drop is at 7:00pm
- Tonight, the Penguins will be giving away the first of four in a series of bobbleheads courtesy of Trib Total Media. Tonight's bobblehead give away is Kris Letang. (Pictured above)
- The Pens Gear "Gameday Special" is $10 off any purchase of $50 or more.
This is a special call that I am making here: IF YOU ARE IN ATTENDANCE TONIGHT, WEAR YOUR #HockeyFightsCancer OR OLLI MAATTA GEAR TO SUPPORT OLLI. MAKE SURE WE SHOW HIM WE WILL STAND BEHIND HIM.
Here is what you need to know if you are WATCHING the game tonight:
- ROOT Sports has the game coverage tonight. Steigy and Bob Errey with the call and Potash on the interviews.
- ROOT Sports will also have the Pre and Post game shows. Penguins Pregame starts at 630 on ROOT Sports.
- Pens Radio Net and 105.9 the X has the radio call. Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will call the game with Bob Grove handling the intermissions, pre and post game shows.
Pens Points tonight: Being in attendance, merchandise purchase, concession purchase, ROOT Sports Pre and Post game keywords and Pens Radio Net keyword.
Thanks for tuning in and remember, if you're at Consol tonight be sure to wear you Hockey Fights Cancer and Maatta gear! #PrayForOlli.