Happy Friday Penguins nation and welcome to the latest edition of Big Daves Pens Pregame. Tonight, our Penguins are in Brooklyn to face the scuffling Islanders. Puck drops on the action at 7:00pm tonight, but my pregame is live nowwww....
Tonight's "Big Daves Gameday Jam" comes from Pearl Jam. I was jammin to my Pens mix on the way to work, as I do every gameday, and this song come one. "Evennnnn Flowwwwwww", enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
What at we saw from the Penguins on Wednesday in Washington was not Penguins Hockey. It wasn't even AHL hockey... or Junior hockey... Hell, it may have been worse than pee-wee hockey, but I digress...
The Pens played terribly v. the Capitals and deserved to get annihilated 7-1 like they did. You cannot give up 7 power plays to the Caps, or any team really, and expect to win. The Pens were just sloppy, lackadaisical and flat out out worked in that game. They lost, it sucks.
But it's time to move past it. It's a single regular season game amidst 82 others. Not everyone will be perfect and not everyone will be won. It's not time to panic, not time to waive the white flag. It's time to get ready and make a meal of the next opponent.
The Penguins will face the Islanders in Brooklyn tonight. Though, it likely won't be the same team that faced Washington. Patric Hornqvist was diagnosed with a concussion and is currently day-to-day. He is likely out tonight. Chris Kunitz suffered a lower body injury and may miss tonight's tilt too. Big losses, as both guys play in the top six. I expect Scott Wilson to jump in the lineup and skate alongside Sid tonight while Tom Kuhnhackl returns to the lineup. Tom Sestito was put on waivers yesterday, so perhaps a move is coming from the AHL, otherwise I'd expect Sestito to stay on the fourth line while Kuhnhackl pushes someone up to the top six.
This game tonight isn't huge by any standards, but it is big for the Penguins to right the wrongs of Wednesday. You want to see them get things together and try to play Penguin Hockey. Let's hope they can do it tonight.
NY State of Mind: The NY Islanders
The New York Islanders, despite a handful of young talent and one of the best players of this generation, currently find themselves in the basement of not only the Metropolitan Division, but the Eastern Conference. Their 13 points is worse than both Buffalo and Carolina, perennial bottom dwellers in the East.
So what is the problem with the Islanders?
Injuries have certainly been a factor. Currently, the Isles are without two of their better defensemen in Dennis Seidenberg and rookie Ryan Pullock. Neither is expected to take the ice at Barclays Center tonight. Mikhail Grabovsky remains out with the head issues and the Isles have been without other players throughout the season's early going.
Next, they have simply underproduced. Andrew Ladd signed a big offseason deal and has produced just three points. Ryan Strome only has five points and Shane Prince six. All three of those guys are playing in the top six. That simply is not solid enough production, especially with John Tavares centering the one line.
Finally, the Barclays Center has been no home to the Islanders. The players hate playing there because of the horrible ice conditions. The fans hate traveling there from Long Island and paying the ridiculous prices and ownership is considering pulling out of there to head home. All distractions that are not needed, especially amidst a slow start.
The Islanders need a win. The Penguins need a win to get back on track after a sloppy showing in Washington. This should be a good game, but it could be a trap if the Penguins allow it to be. The Isles are down, but not out quite yet.
What to Know About the Islanders:
- 5-8-3 on the season for 13 points.
- The Islanders currently sit last in the Metropolitan Division and last in the East.
- New York is just 2-5-3 in their last 10 games, and were shut out by the Lightning 4-0 the other night.
Scoring Leaders:
- C John Tavares - 12pts
- C Brock Nelson - 11pts
- D Dennis Seidenberg - 8pts
- LW Josh Bailey - 8pts
- D Nick Leddy - 7pts
- RW Cal Clutterbuck - 7pts
Injury Report:
- D Dennis Seidenberg (lower-body) is OUT tonight. The Isles top scoring defenseman will miss the contest after blocking a shot last weekend that got him on the IR list.
- D Ryan Pullock (foot) is OUT tonight. Pullock is still working his way back from a foot injury sustained in late October.
- RW Mikhail Grabovski (head) is OUT tonight.
Projected Lines:
- Josh Bailey - John Tavares - Ryan Strome
- Andrew Ladd - Brock Nelson - Shane Prince
- Anders Lee - Alan Quine - Jason Chimera
- Nikolay Kulemin - Casey Cizikas - Cal Clutterbuck
Projected Pairs:
- Travis Hamonic - Nick Leddy
- Thomas Hickey - Johnny Boychuk
- Calvin de Haan - Adam Pelech
Jaroslav Halak should get the start in net for New York tonight.
News & Notes From the Penguins
- RW Patric Hornqvist (concussion) is OUT tonight against the Isles. Hornqvist is considered day-to-day
- LW Chris Kunitz (lower-body) is DOUBTFUL for tonight. He sustained a lower-body injury and missed practice Thursday.
Transaction Report:
- LW Tom Sestito was placed on waivers yesterday.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Conor Sheary - Sidney Crosby - Scott Wilson
- Carl Hagelin - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel
- Eric Fehr - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
- Tom Sestito - Matt Cullen - Tom Kuhnhackl
Pairs:
- Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
- Olli Maatta - Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Justin Schultz
I expect Marc-Andre Fleury to get the start in Brooklyn tonight, with Matt Murray in there tomorrow v. New Jersey.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Chemistry: The Penguins will likely be without both Hornqvist and Kunitz tonight, so finding chemistry will be key, especially for Sid and Geno who stand to get new linemates. I expect a slower start tonight because of this, but after a bit, the Pens need to find something.
3. Penalties: Simply put, the Penguins need to stop taking so many BAD penalties. The majority of those taken Wednesday, and all season for that matter, have been horribly lazy penalties. I want to see that stopped tonight.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Conor Sheary: As with Rust, I'd like to see similar with Sheary. Conor goes to the dirty areas, but he is not Hornqvist. I'd like to see him, Sid and whoever ends up on that line make things happen for themselves, mostly by working the dirty areas.
3. Evgeni Malkin: Geno won't have the usual comfort of Kunitz tonight, so what I want to see out of Geno is for him to be dynamic. Take the puck, make things happen and above all, SHOOT! Geno is at his best when he is firing the puck, he needs to do that tonight without his typical supporting cast.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- The game will be 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:
- Radio Keyword - 5pts
- ROOT Pregame/Post Game Keywords - 5pts each