Good evening everyone and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. Tonight, our Penguins play host to Bruce Boudreau's Minnesota Wild at PPG Paints Arena. The puck drops on the action at 7:00pm tonight, but my Pregame is live now....
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" comes from one of the best British bands out there. When I first started listening to these guys, they were hardcore screaming metal. Now, they have evolved into quite a solid rock band without the screaming but still with the breakdowns. The band is Bring Me the Horizon and this is their song, "Happy Song." Cheers!
The State of the Penguins
The Pens did not get off to a good start in Crosby v. McDavid I on Election Night in Pittsburgh. Conor Sheary continued his torrid play after returning from an eye injury as he score for the Pens within the first 2 minutes of the game. From there though, Connor McDavid took over and produced two of the Oilers 3 points in the period. After 1, it was 3-1 Edmonton.
But the Penguins fought back. Chris Kunitz got it to 3-2 and Evgeni Malkin tied it up at 3 midway through the 3rd period. With the game dying, Conor Sheary added his 2nd of the game, and fourth point over two games to give the Penguins a win. Final score, 4-3 Pittsburgh.
The Pens are playing well right now. They have won 7 of their last 10 games and have earned points in each of their last seven games, including 6 wins. Tonight, the Penguins continue their homestand when they host Eric Staal and the Minnesota Wild. The Wild are playing well, but overachieving. These games are usually trap games for the Pens. Can they get another two points tonight?
Running Wild: Minnesota Wild
I think this team is currently overachieving. I give them credit for playing well, despite a rash of injuries. But with that in mind, this roster does little to catch my eyes. The big, and frankly only, moves of the offseason roster wise for this team was allowing Thomas Vanek to walk, and taking a flyer on Eric Staal. The move has paid off so far. Staal has 8 points so far and has played well centering the top line. Bruce Boudreau was inserted behind the bench, which has helped as well.
But I'm still not impressed by this team. They have found ways to get into the playoffs more years than not, but they never have enough to be legitimate. Parise is often injured, and currently is, and Suter is still very good, but not the elite defenseman he was a few years back. Devan Dubnyk is very Jekyll and Hyde, and though hot now, I don't expect it to go all year. The rest of the roster? It's ok, but there aren't any names that strike a hint of fear into you.
I think Minnesota is overachieving, but they could still steal this game from the Pens. It'll be a good game, but I expect the Pens to win.
The Lowdown on the Wild:
- 6-4-1 on the season.
- Minnesota currently sits 3rd in the Central division with 13 points.
- Minnesota has gone 6-3-1 over their last 10, but lost their last gave v. Colorado 1-0.
- The Wild have struggled on the road, going 2-3-1 away from Xcel Energy Center.
Scoring Leaders:
- D Ryan Suter - 10pts
- C Eric Staal - 8pts
- C Charlie Coyle - 7pts
- LW Jason Zucker - 7pts
- LW Mikael Granlund - 6pts
- LW Zach Parise - 6pts
Injury Report:
- D Marco Scandella (lower-body) was placed on LTIR on Wednesday. Scandella will be out for an extended period of time with an ankle issue.
- LW Eric Haula (lower-body) is likely OUT tonight. Haula suffered a lower-body injury and his return on this current Minnesota roadtrip has been characterized as highly unlikely.
- LW Zach Parise (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Like Haula, Parise will miss the entire roadtrip due to an issue with his foot.
- C Zac Dalpe (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Dalpe underwent knee surgery last week and is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks.
Projected Lines:
- Nino Neiderreiter - Eric Staal - Charlie Coyle
- Mikael Granlund - Mikko Koivu - Jason Pominville
- Jason Zucker - Joel Eriksson Ek - Chris Stewart
- Jordan Schroeder - Tyler Graovac - Christop Bertschy
Projected Pairs:
- Ryan Suter - Matt Dumba
- Jonas Brodin - Christian Folin
- Nate Prosser - Jared Spurgeon
Devan Dubnyk is expected to start in net for Minnesota.
News & NOtes from Around the Pens
- The Penguins have recalled F Tom Sestito from WBS and re-assigned D Chad Ruhwedel to the Baby Penguins.
Scoring Leaders:
- C Evgeni Malkin - 13pts
- RW Phil Kessel - 11pts
- RW Patric Hornqvist - 11pts
- C Sidney Crosby - 10pts
- C Matt Cullen - 9pts
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The Penguins have gone 6-0-1 on the season at PPG Paints Arena, including 4 straight wins.
- LW Conor Sheary has four points (2G-2A) in his two games since returning from injury.
- Evgeni Malkin, Patrich Hornqvist and Phil Kessel each have points in four of their last five games.
#AskBigDave
The Murray/Fleury debate will never end will it? Hahahaha. The Penguins are very lucky to be in this position. Look at the Stars, great team, no goalies. So, it's a good problem to have.
Now, as far as how the Pens have used them, I think it's been fine. Fleury played 9 straight games. Murray has played 3 out of 4, I have no issue with that. Going down the road, I keep playing the hot hand. Goalies like to play to stay sharp, but the Pens can't do one game you, one game you.
You ride who's hot and if someone struggles, you switch it up. If someone plays a big stretch, you give em a few games. It's not ideal, but it is far better than the alternative. Just ask Dallas...
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Carl Hagelin - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Conor Sheary - Nick Bonino - Bryan Rust
- Scott Wilson - Matt Cullen - Eric Fehr
Pairs:
- Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
- Olli Maatta - Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Justin Schultz
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Role Players: Sheary had 2 goals last night. Matt Cullen has 9 points and Eric Fehr has been great too. The Pens are good because their role players are. They have been the deciding factor in a bunch of these games, bet they will be tonight too.
3. Don't Be Lazy: This is a trap game. The Wild are not good, but they're still dangerous. The Pens need to take this game from the first puck drop and make sure they outwork them.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Evgeni Malkin: Malkin is working it right now. He played well in Sids absence, and he's kept to going with Sids return. I want to see that continue. Geno playing at a point-per-game rate is key for the Pens having a deep run. It takes pressure of Sid and opens ice for everyone. Need to see it keep going.
3. Trevor Daley: I really like the way Daley is playing right now. His skating is better than ever, but his breakout and decision making is top notch. I'd love to see him keep it going.
What to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- Doors open at 6:00pm for an 7:00pm puck drop.
- All fans in attendance will receive a "50 Years" t-shirt, courtesy of Foxes Pizza
- Penguins players will wear special camouflage jerseys in the pre-game warmup, and the Penguins Foundation will then auction the jerseys to benefit the Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania. The online auction will open Thursday night and continue through November 21 at www.pittsburghpenguins.com.
- A Veterans Day-themed opening video will be used in place of the traditional pre-game video.
- Vietnam Veterans Incorporated of Pittsburgh will present the colors, and the national anthem will be performed by The Brass Roots.
- World War II Jeeps will be parked outside the Peoples, Trib Total Media and Verizon Gates prior to the game.
- Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum will present a special exhibit in the Highmark Wall of Champions hallway (behind section 112) that pays tribute to post-9/11 veterans. Each branch of service will be honored with a special uniform display. There also will be a video featuring names, photos and hometowns of more than 300 Pennsylvania veterans who gave their lives fighting the war on terrorism.
- The Penguins will host Defending the Blue Line (United Heroes League) in the Sidney Crosby charity suite, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) in the Evgeni Malkin charity suite, and the groups that attended the morning skate in a Jim Beam Party Suite.
- Fans are encouraged to use #PensThanks leading up to and during Thursday night's game to honor a hero. Share a photo with an active-duty, reserve, veteran or retired service member to show your appreciation for all their sacrifices for our freedom!
- As a reminder, the Penguins are proud to offer discounted tickets to active-duty, reserve, veteran and retired service members and first responders in partnership with GovX.com. Simply visit www.pittsburghpenguins.com/militarytickets to learn more and view a list of eligible games.
What to know for WATCHING the game:
- The game will be nationally televised on ROOT Sports.
- Coverage begins with Penguins Pregame at 6:30pm and Penguins Post Game following the action.
- Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey will have the call, with Dan Potash handling the interviews.
What to know for LISTENING to the game:
- Full coverage will be available on 105.9 the X, iHeartRadio and on the Penguins app.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage, starting at 6:00pm with Josh Getzoff.
- Hall of Famer Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will have the game coverage starting at 8:00pm.
- Penguins Hot Line follows the game action with Josh Getzoff.
Pens Points:
- Game Attendance - 50pts
- Concession Purchase - 10pts
- Merchandise Purchase - 10pts
- Radio Keyword - 5pts
- ROOT Pregame Keyword - 5pts