Good evening Penguins fans, and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Tonight, the Penguins embark on a pivotal Game Six in the Eastern Conference Finals against Tampa Bay in Florida. If the Penguins win, they return for Game Seven in Pittsburgh. If they lose, it is all over but the crying.
Puck drops tonight at 8:00pm at Amelie Arena, but the Pregame is live now...
@pensfan2259 keeps the "Big Dave's Gameday Jams" selection duties for tonight's game. He has decided to go with a little Rob Zombie. I like it, and he picked a good one. I'd have gone with "Dragula," but his selection of "Superbeast" is really good as well. Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
Those were the words of Penguins center Evgeni Malkin yesterday during his media availability on Monday. Geno doesn't talk to the media often, but when he does, he usually makes a powerful statement. You will remember, in November, Malkin spoke following an atrocious loss to the Devils in New Jersey. He called out himself and his team, then proceeded to go on a scoring tear the next couple weeks.
Yesterday, Geno spoke. Does his scoring tear begin tonight?
If the Penguins wish to stay alive in this series and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it will have to. Pittsburgh enters tonight down three games to two in the series, with the Lightning just a win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for back-to-back seasons. They will need Evgeni Malkin to be special, and they will need more out of a couple others as well.
The Penguins gave away Game Five in Pittsburgh. They took a 2-0 lead and squandered it away. They took a 3-2 lead and gave that away as well. Finally, they lost in OT on a fluke goal, but one that could have been prevented with better play in the neutral zone. The Penguins gave away Game Five, and a similar performance will see their season come to an abrupt end tonight.
Tonight, the Penguins will need a complete game. They will need to play with a desperation level we saw throughout the Washington and New York series, but that has been hit or miss v. Tampa Bay. Most importantly, they will need their big three to play on another level; one we haven't seen since the opening round. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang need to play to the back of their hockey cards. They need to be dynamic and they need to take over the game like they are capable of doing.
The Pens are up against the ropes, gasping for breath. Will Tampa deliver the knock-out blow or will Malkin live up to his words and get the Penguins home for Game Seven?
Scouting the Enemy: Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay came into Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals on the heels of a solid win at home. They scored four goals before the Penguins clawed back into that game, but they tied the series nonetheless. In Game Five, they didn't dominate, but they certainly played well enough to win. They deserved a win.
Ultimately, Tampa Bay got the Game Five win, and the series lead heading home for Game Six tonight. Nikita Kucherov has finally shown up. After a huge start to the playoffs, the Russian sniper finally got off his own personal schnide, potting two goals behind Marc-Andre Fleury. Alex Killorn scored yet another goal against the Penguins, and Tyler Johnson's rear end ended the game in OT on Sunday night.
Now, Tampa returns home with a lot of things in their favor. One, they have the series lead. Two, they will have a chance to clinch the series and the East at home. Third, their top players are outperforming the Penguins' top players. Finally, their netminder is making more saves than the Penguins.
If all that continues tonight, Tampa will become the first team since the Penguins to win back-to-back Eastern Conference Titles. If it doesn't, then they will have to head back to Pittsburgh and win Game Seven on the road to accomplish the feat.
Lightning Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- RW Nikita Kucherov - 19pts (11G-8A)
- C Tyler Johnson - 17pts (7G-10A)
- C Alex Killorn - 13pts (5G-8A)
- D Victor Hedman - 13pts (4G-9A)
- LW Jonathan Drouin - 12pts (4G-8A)
Injury Report:
- G Ben Bishop (lower-body) will be a game-time decision tonight. Bishop reportedly has not structural damage to the knee according to the team and has skated the last few days. HC Jon Cooper hinted he could play tonight, so time will tell.
- C Steven Stamkos (blood clots) will be a OUT tonight. Stamkos had surgery to remove a blood clot from his arm near the end of March and was given a 1-3 month timetable. He has been skating with the team, even shedding the no-contact jersey of late, but only time will tell.
Projected Lines:
- Ondrej Palat - Tyler Johnson - Nikita Kucherov
- Alex Killorn - Valtteri Filppula - Jonathan Drouin
- Cedric Paquette - Brian Boyle - Ryan Callahan
- JT Brown - Vladislav Namestnikov
Projected Pairs:
- Victor Hedman - Anton Stalman
- Jason Garrison - Andrej Sustr
- Matt Carle - Braydon Coburn - Slater Koekkoek
Andrei Vasilevsky will start in net for the Bolts tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- D Trevor Daley (lower-body) is out for the season. Daley suffered a broken ankle in the Penguins Game Four loss in Tampa Bay and will not play again this season. It is a huge blow to the Penguins speed and defensive corps.
Organizational Notes:
- The Penguins announced Monday that they have signed F Jake Guentzel to a three-year entry-level contract beginning in 2016-17.
Penguins Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- RW Phil Kessel - 17pts (8G-9A)
- C Sidney Crosby - 13pts (5G-8A)
- C Nick Bonino - 13pts (2G-11A)
- C Evgeni Malkin - 12pts (4G-8A)
- LW Carl Hagelin - 12pts (5G-7A)
Miscellaneous Notes:
- LW Chris Kunitz enters tonight on a three-game goal streak.
- D Brian Dumoulin scored his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal and his first since December 2014. Coincidentally enough, that goal was against Tampa Bay as well.
- RW Patric Hornqvist scored his seventh goal of the playoffs on Sunday night. All seven goals have come at home at Consol Energy Center.
#AskBigDave
Patty, I don't want to say that the minutes are the reason for Letang's poor play of late. I should actually rephrase that, I don't want to say it is the only reason. When you have played as much hockey as Kris Letang has the last few weeks, it would only make sense for him to be gassed. We saw the affects that can have on a player; i.e. look at Olli Maatta's play the last two months (minus Sunday of course). Sunday night, Letang was definitely slow. He was a minus-4 on the night, and he was caught flat footed on several of those. I don't think it is the sole factor, but fatigue is playing a role.
To be completely honest, I think Letang is trying to do entirely too much. He is trying to force the issue and it is leading to poor decisions and ultimately poor play. What I'd like to see Patty is for Kris to simplify his game. He will still play big minutes, but I'd like to see him take his time a little more, stop forcing things and be a little smarter not only in puck movements, but when to jump into the mix. If he can do that, he should play like the All-Star caliber player he is.
From Alex on Twitter: "How do you think the inconsistency of the refs have effected the outcome of this series so far?"
To be completely honest Alex, I don't think the inconsistency of the refs have effected this series as much as the previous. Granted, the refs have missed plenty of calls, but to be even more fair, they have missed calls both way. Tampa hasn't been called for everything they could have been, nor have we. I like the fact that the refs are actually letting the teams determine the outcome of the games, more than their calls.
Now, with all this in mind, don't take it as "hip-hip-hooray" for the refs. Far from it, they are complete crap and a disgrace to this league and sport. But what you asked in the question was much more evident in the Washington series. The refs called those games to make sure the Capitals had every opportunity to win. Luckily enough, the Penguins were able to beat them at their own game. The ways of the refs and league were far more apparent in the Washington series. In this series, the refs have not called everything, but they are not making calls blatantly to favor one side.
From Hany B. on Twitter: "Do you see Daniel Sprong having time on Malkin's wing in this series?"
Hany, I honestly don't think we will see Daniel Sprong at all in this series. The kid is talented, but now is not the time to throw a kid into the belly of the beast. Sprong had a good season in Juniors and was good at the AHL level. But neither is the NHL, and asking him to step into a top six role in a potential series deciding game is not fair to him or the guys he is playing with.
So no Hany, I would not have Sprong put in the lineup.
From Cindy on the Tweety: "Which lines give us the best chance to win tomorrow?"
Simply enough Cindy, these are my lines:
- Sheary - Crosby - Hornqvist
- Hagelin - Bonino - Kessel
- Kunitz - Malkin - Rust
- Fehr- Cullen - Kuhnhackl
The HBK line must remain together. It is the teams best line and they are dangerous every time they hit the ice.
Kunitz and Malkin are gelling together right now, and the duo paired with Bryan Rust made things happen in Game Five. I would certainly keep them together.
I put Sheary back in the lineup and on the top line. Beau Bennett is as useful as used toilet paper and he added absolutely nothing to Game Five. Sheary adds speed and gumption, which often results in plays being kept alive and the Penguins getting more scoring chances.
The fourth line is good because it does what it needs to to be successful. Don't mess with it.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Conor Sheary - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel
- Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Bryan Rust
- Eric Fehr - Matt Cullen - Tom Kuhnhackl
Pairs:
- Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
- Olli Maatta - Ben Lovejoy
- Ian Cole - Justin Schultz
Matt Murray will likely be the starter in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Forecheck: The Penguins were incredibly soft on the forecheck the last two games and it cost them dearly. Tonight, I want to see them be ferocious from opening puck drop until the end. Be hard on the puck, and be sure you make sure they struggle to make a play.
3. Don't Fall Into A Trap: The Penguins have been collapsing in and playing more of a trap the last two games. A style that does not fit the makeup of the Penguins, and one that certainly has not worked at all the last couple games. The Penguins need to pressure the puck, create turnovers and optimize offensive zone time. That is what their defense is built to do and that is the way they will win this game.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Evgeni Malkin: He said the series is coming back to Pittsburgh, that means he needs to put up or shut up. I think Malkin will have a good game, especially since he finally seems comfortable with Kunitz and Rust on his wings. While that is all well and good, where he really needs to produce is on the power play. If he cannot find away to put the puck in the net on the man-advantage, it will be even more difficult for him 5-v.-5.
3. Chris Kunitz: Has goals in three consecutive games and finally looks like the legit top six winger we had known for years. If he can stay hot, and the likes of Letang, Malkin and/or Crosby have a big game, the Penguins should have a good chance of forcing Game Seven.
What to know for Watching/Listening
- The game is NATIONALLY televised on NBCSN at 8:00pm tonight.
- Coverage should begin at 7:00pm on NBCSN with pregame coverage.
Here is what you need to know if you're LISTENING to tonight's game:
- 105.9 The X, the Penguins app, the Penguins website and iHeart Radio app are all places you can pick up the game tonight.
- Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will have the game call beginning at 8:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage at 7:00pm. Josh Getzoff will host.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action.
Pens Points:
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts