Happy Tuesday Penguins nation and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. Great to have you aboard once again for another Pens game. Tonight, the boys head North of the Border to face off with Shea Weber and the Montreal Canadiens. Puck drops on the action at 7:30pm, but my Pregame starts now....
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" is one of my favorite instrumental songs. I love listening to movie/television soundtracks while I am at work, and Pandora always plays this beautiful tune from the PBS Civil War series. It is "Ashokan Farewell," which is a beautiful violin tune that really has a great "Fall" feel. Perfect for a lovely October evening. Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
The Penguins had several opportunities to shut the door and open the season 3-0 last night at home, but somehow managed to give the game away to Colorado and lose in overtime. The final score was 4-3.
While Mike Sullivan said the Penguins need to be more consistent, I simply believe they need to be less sloppy. That is the term that would best describe their play against Colorado. On the night, the Penguins committed seven penalties, seven giveaways general lethargic play at times. It was a game the Penguins should have won, and with a little cleaner effort, would have won.
Now, the Penguins turn around and face the Montreal Canadiens tonight. I would expect some changes to the lineup tonight, most notably on the back end. I would expect Mike Condon to get the start in net for the Pens, after Fleury faced another 30+ shot bombardment last night. Condon is more than capable and would give Flower a night off. The other change is to the Maatta-Daley pairing. While they paired well in the playoffs for a few games, they have been a disaster to start the year. Maatta just doesn't look himself and Daley hasn't been great either. I would expect to see Dumoulin with Daley tonight and Maatta with Letang.
As for positives to look for tonight, here are three. First, Phil Kessel is heating up. He scored yet another power play goal yesterday and he really seems to be heating up. I don't expect a goal per game of course, but man, a hot start from him in Sid's absence is just what the doctor ordered. Then you have Geno Malkin. Geno should have had a goal last night, but thanks to the "infinite wisdom" of the NHL officials, they took it away from him. Malkin is playing really well; elevating his game to the high level he usually does when Sid is on the shelf. I expect that to continue. Finally, I was very impressed by the Schultz-Cole pairing. They really played well in last night's loss, and you can tell they really gel well together.
Tonight, the Penguins look to get back on track and reclaim the points they should have gotten last night. Montreal is no pushover, but they are far from a lethal team. The Pens need to be ready, they need to be cleaner, and they need to get two points.
The Montreal Canadiens
I think the hockey world was absolutely stunned over the summer where the Canadiens traded fan-favorite PK Subban to Nashville in exchange for Shea Weber. On the surface, it seems like a strange move. The Habs traded a younger defenseman, one about to enter his prime, for a older, more expensive defenseman who is exiting his prime. It is not a move I fully understand, but hey, I'm no NHL GM.
Montreal is coming off a year where they struggled mightily. The biggest factor in that, was the absence of Carey Price, who missed the majority of the year with a lower-body injury. I feel the Habs rely too much on Price, which is why they struggled so much without him last season. Now, with PK Subban gone, the defense isn't as impressive as it was. Granted Shea Weber is a good defenseman, but he doesn't carry or move the puck as well as PK Subban.
Plus, Montreal did little add to this team in any other facets. They add Weber, but lose Subban. Up front, Montreal is still a mess. They do not have the scoring depth to make a prolonged run, which just adds to the burden facing the defense and particularly Carey Price.
I don't like the Habs chances this season. The could be a playoff team, but I think it is unfair to think Price can repeat his Veinza, Hart season of 2014-15 and single-handedly carry this team again. He is very good, perhaps the best goalie in the world, but the East is deep enough where teams like Pittsburgh, Tampa, Washington and Florida will score on them and make it difficult to win 2-1 games. I predict the Habs finishing right around a wild card spot, but don't advance far if they make the playoffs at all.
The Lowdown on Montreal:
- The Canadiens were 38-38-6 last season.
- At home, Montreal played to a 22-16-3 record in the 2015-16 season.
- Montreal enters tonight's game 1-0-1 on the season.
- Tonight is the Canadiens home opener.
Scoring Leaders:
- RW Brendan Gallagher - 3pts
- D Shea Weber - 2pts
- D Jeff Petry - 2pts
- C Alex Galchenyuk - 2pts
- LW Phillip Danault - 2pts
Offseason Acquistions:
- D Shea Weber, RW Alexander Radulov, F Andrew Shaw, G Al Montoya, LW Phillip Danault, LW Daniel Carr, RW Bobby Farnham, C Chris Terry
Offseason Subtractions:
- D PK Subban, C Lars Eller
Injury Report:
- G Carey Price (flu) skated Monday, but is a game-time decision for tonight. The former Vezina winner has yet to play this season.
Projected Lines:
- Max Pacioretty - Alex Galchenyuk - Brendan Gallagher
- Artturi Lehkonen - Tomas Plecanec - Alexander Radulov
- Daniel Carr - David Desharnais - Andrew Shaw
- Phillip Danualt - Torrey Mitchel - Paul Byron
Projected Pairs:
- Nathan Beaulieu - Shea Weber
- Andrei Markov - Jeff Petry
- Alexei Emelin - Mikhail Sergachev
Al Montoya is expected to start for Montreal tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- C Sidney Crosby (concussion) remains OUT.
- G Matt Murray (thumb) is progressing and should return to practice within the next few days.
- RW Bryan Rust (undisclosed) is day-to-day but very close to returning to the lineup.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- C Matt Cullen had a goal and assist in last night's OT loss. However, those points made him the fourth oldest Penguin to record a point in franchise history.
- The Penguins were 14-14-4 in back-to-back situations last season.
#AskBigDave
Alex, I certainly think the Crosby concussion will have an affect on this season. The biggest thing is, when will Sid be back? That will go a long way in determining the impact. If Sid is missing for a good portion of the year, that will certainly have a big affect on the Penguins. If he is out only another game or two, well, same thing.
For now, we can only sit and wait for his return. Speculating on when will only be a time waster. The impact is just whether Sid is playing or not. If he is, this team is that much better. If he isn't, well this team is still pretty damn good.
Now, will he play more cautiously when he comes back? I doubt it. Sid is pretty smart and is sure not to put himself in too many precarious situations as it it. And also, this isn't like 2011-12 where he could have had his career ended with the way his concussions were affecting him. It took time, but Sid returned to the same level of play after the first few bouts with concussions, and I am sure he will do the same again here.
From Rob on the Tweety: With Jonathan Quick being out for 4 months, do you think MAF could be dealt to LA, with Murray's looming return?
This is a great question Rob. The Kings team is not nearly as good as it was just two years ago and without Jonathan Quick, they are in even deeper trouble. A groin injury for a goalie is really bad, and a 4 month prognosis is probably a "best case scenario." I wouldn't be shocked if he's done for the entire season.
So will the Kings make a move?
I think they should, but I wouldn't expect it to be Marc-Andre Fleury. There are a lot of goalies available on the market, and I think Ben Bishop is more likely to move before MAF. The reason being, Bishop is a UFA at season's end, his price will not be nearly as high as Flower's. Also, the Kings need a full-time stop-gap for this season, not the long term. Bishop just makes more sense to me for LA than Fleury does at this time. Could I be very wrong about that? Absolutely, but Bishop just makes more sense to me.
From Bryce on the Tweety: The Pens seem to have carried the same game mentality from the playoffs, you think this can be maintained all season?
Excellent observation Bryce. The Penguins have carried over the same game mentality that they had in the playoffs last season. It has worked well for them, as it won them the Cup, and the first two games of this season. It is a great strategy for sure.
Now, can it be maintained all season long?
The biggest thing with hockey is you play the game way different in the regular season than you do in the playoffs. I wouldn't expect the Penguins to block 20-25 shots a night in October like they would in June. I don't expect the Penguins to roll four lines in November like they would in May. Certain things are just different.
But what you asked about is their mentality and that Bryce is something they can maintain all year. Mike Sullivan and his staff will see to that as well. This team has bought into what Sullivan is preaching, and they enter every game with that "ride or die" ideal. It has led to a plethora of success up and down that lineup, and has shown itself in the box scores as well.
So yes Bryce, the mentality certainly can be maintained throughout the season.
From Tyler on the Tweety: In your opinion, does Scott Wilson stay with the Pens when Rust and Crosby return?
This is a great question. When Sid comes back, he obviously will be reinserted into the lineup. The question becomes who comes out when Bryan Rust is ready? Is it Scott Wilson? Is is Sheary? Is it Kuhnhackl or does Rusty sit? I don't really have the answer to that Tyler.
If I had to venture a guess, I think you will see guys play on a rotation or whoever is hot at the moment. I think Scott Wilson will be a good fit with Geno, and if Geno likes playing with him as he is rumored to, then I doubt he comes out of the lineup often. I wonder how much of a beating little Conor Sheary can withstand, so I can see him coming out of the lineup from night-to-night and have Rust in there. Same with Tom Kuhnhackl, he is a good defensive forward for sure, but he isn't "vital" to the overall success in every regular season game where defense is not as large a priority.
I think you will see a rotation as to who is in the lineup Tyler. And remember, injuries always happen and an injury will open the door for all the young guys to be in there at some point.
Projected Lines & Pairs
Lines:
- Carl Hagelin - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel
- Scott Wilson - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist
- Chris Kunitz - Matt Cullen - Conor Sheary
- Tom Sestito - Eric Fehr - Tom Kuhnhackl
Pairs:
- Olli Maatta - Kris Letang
- Brian Dumoulin- Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Justin Schultz
Mike Condon will start in net for Pittsburgh.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Power Play: The Pens PP is rolling! Goals in three straight. Am I asking too much for four in a row? I certainly don't think so. Especially with the way Kessel and Malkin are going right now, I have a lot of faith in this unit.
3. Penalty Kill: Granted, the Penguins have given up a few power play goals of late, but they have found themselves in 5-on-3s multiple times, including twice last night. The Pens PK is solid, but they need to be better than they have been the last two games. Montreal isn't an elite PP, but Shea Weber's bombs from the point can make life difficult for the Penguins if they aren't on top of it.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Ian Cole: I was very impressed with Cole and Schultz last night, and Cole on the whole this year. He is really playing some good hockey to start of the season. His defensive positioning has been very good and he's been calm on the puck. Love the way he's playing, especially his pairing with Justin Schultz.
3. Conor Sheary: I do worry about his stature, because he did take a few booming hits last night. But what he lacks in size, Conor Sheary makes up in determination. I love the way he hounds the puck incessantly and how he always seems to create a chance either for himself or a teammate every shift. He's got points in back-to-back, and I think he could add to it tonight.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- The game will be nationally televised on ROOT Sports.
- Coverage begins with Penguins Pregame at 7:00pm 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 6:30pm 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 Keyword - 5pts
- ROOT Postgame Keyword - 5pts