Good evening and Happy Memorial Day Penguins nation. Welcome to the first ever Stanley Cup Finals edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame. I am beyond excited to be bringing you a Cup Finals Pregame this year. Tonight, our Penguins will embark on Game One of the Finals as they host Joe Pavelski and the San Jose Sharks.
Puck drops tonight at Consol Energy Center at 8:00pm, but the Pregame is live now....
@pensfan2259 continues his song selection duties for my "Big Dave's Gameday Jam." His selections have gotten us this far, and I would be crazy to deny him to continue to choose. Tonight, he has selected one of the most notorious performers in history. He has chosen the soulful, hip-popping, downright badass man by the name of James Brown! This is his song, "Sex Machine." Enjoy it!
The State of the Penguins
The legendary words of former Penguins coach Herb Brooks before the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980. I felt that was an appropriate quote to begin tonight's "State of the Penguins" with. For tonight, the Penguins are hoping to create more great moments, born out of great opportunity, in the histories of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.
The Penguins find themselves in their fifth Stanley Cup Finals in franchise history. It will be the third during the "Crosby/Malkin" era as well. It is the Pens first trip back since their fateful win in 2009, and if history does in fact repeat itself, then the outlook is very favorable for the Penguins as well.
The 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins boast a similar core to the one the Penguins currently field. Sidney Crosby is still the Captain; Evgeni Malkin the alternate. Chris Kunitz, Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury are still on the roster, while the likes of Bill Guerin, Sergei Gonchar and Pascal Dupuis all remain in the organization in different capacities. Like that Penguins team, this one entering the Finals is deep; with four lines of scoring and a good mix on the defensive blue line. And much like the 2009 Penguins, this Penguins team endured a mid-season coaching change, a hot run to close the year, and several grueling playoff rounds to earn the chance at Lord Stanley's greatest prize.
Tonight, the Penguins will embark on the last leg of the journey. They are just four wins away from raising the Cup for the fourth time in franchise history. They will be led by their holdovers of '09 in Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Kunitz, and joined by a group that, just like 2009, has proven to be the pivotal key in a successful run. Phil Kessel will make his Cup Finals debut, and you better believe he will be smiling like a butcher's dog. Carl Hagelin returns to the Cup Finals for the second time in three years, looking for better fortune than his last trip. Matt Cullen will center a line of rookies, hoping to help them raise the Cup, as veterans helped him when he did just that for Carolina in 2006. Finally, their will be, now 22-year-old, rookie Matt Murray in the net, with ice water running through his veins, looking to become one of just a handful of rookies to take his team to the Stanley Cup in his first year.
It has been a magical run for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Maybe there is enough magic left to put an exclamation point on this storybook-like season. It will all begin tonight, at home, in Pittsburgh....
Scouting the Enemy: San JOse Sharks
I am sure there are many in the San Jose fanbase that would whole-heartedly agree with me when I say that the San Jose Sharks are long overdue for a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The franchise formed in 1991 has made the playoffs more than any team since the 2004-05 lockout season, eleven appearances, and has been to the Conference Finals four times in that span. Until this year, they had never taken that next step to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
Now, San Jose finds themselves in the thick of things, as they and the Penguins clash in the Stanley Cup Finals. Many would have said in February that there was no way these two teams would win a playoff series, let alone play each other in the Cup Finals. Both teams have done an excellent job in proving the haters wrong in that regard.
So how did the Sharks find themselves in the Cup Finals?
It started last offseason. The Sharks missed the playoffs in 2015 for the first time since the lockout. They fired their coach in Todd McLellan, had perhaps the worst locker room in the sport besides the Leafs with the issues back-and-forth between players and management, and were officially labeled "playoff chokers."
With McLellan out, in came former Devils coach Pete DeBoer. He was a perfect fit for this veteran team, and has done a magnificent job of managing his players both on and off the ice. The Sharks also added key pieces in defenseman Paul Martin, forward Joel Ward and goalie Martin Jones. Each has made this team a line/pair deeper, and Jones has solidified himself as a legitimate number one goalie in the league. Finally, the locker room was healed. The hard feelings and fights of 2014-15 have been fixed and exchanged for a close, tight-knit group that has excelled to where they find themselves tonight.
In the playoffs, San Jose has followed a similar route as the Penguins. They discharged their big rivals in Los Angeles in the opening round in five games. They followed that up with a nail-biting series against Nashville. That series would go the distance, with the Sharks annihilating the Preds in Game Seven. Finally, San Jose took down the St. Louis Blues, who had finally gotten out of the first round after years of great regular season play, and first round flameouts. Regardless, the Blues couldn't solve the Sharks and they took the series and the Conference in six games.
Now, San Jose enters their first Stanley Cup Finals. They will have the benefit of big named veterans who have played in very important games on the international level, but who have never found themselves this deep in the playoffs. Martin Jones earned a ring with the Kings two years ago, but he was in a backup role at the time. He is the only player with a ring or experience in the Stanley Cup Finals for the Sharks entering the series. Will the lack of experience hurt? I doubt it will, but there may be more nerves on their end then there will be on the Pittsburgh bench.
Regardless, the Sharks have earned the right to be here. They will be a formidable team, and as I discuss deeper below in my "Ask Big Dave," a tough matchup on the Penguins in this series. No matter the outcome, I am completely convinced this will be the best series of hockey we have seen all playoff long.
The Lowdown on San Jose:
- 46-30-6 regular season record, which was good for 98 points and third in the Pacific Division.
- The Sharks went 18-20-3 at home in the regular season, while they went 28-10-3 on the road.
- The Sharks advanced to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals via the following route:
- Defeated Los Angeles in the opening round in five games.
- Defeated Nashville in the second round in seven games.
- Defeated St. Louis in the Western Conference Finals in six games.
San Jose Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- C Logan Couture - 24pts (8G-16A)
- C Joe Pavelski - 22pts (13G-9A)
- D Brent Burns - 20pts (6G-14A)
- C Joe Thornton - 18pts (3G-15A)
- LW Patrick Marleau - 12pts (4G-8A)
Injury Report:
- LW Matt Nieto (upper-body) is a game-time decision tonight. The young winger has been out since May 9th with an upper-body issue, but has returned to practice, including a full-contact on Friday. He still needs to be cleared, but it is possible he plays while the series is in Pittsburgh.
Projected Lines:
- Tomas Hertl - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski
- Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Joonas Donskol
- Melker Karlsson - Chris Tierney - Joel Ward
- Dainius Zubrus - Nick Spaling - Tommy Wingles
Projected Pairs:
- Paul Martin - Brent Burns
- Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun
- Brenden Dillon - Roman Polak
Projected Power Play Units:
- Patrick Marleau - Joe Thornton - Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski - Brent Burns
- Joonas Donskol - Tomas Hertl - Joel Ward, Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Paul Martin
Martin Jones is expected to start in net for San Jose with James Reimer backing up.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- C Nick Bonino (lower-body) is expected to play tonight. Bonino missed practice yesterday as a maintenance day, after taking a puck off the knee in Game Seven on Thursday.
- D Kris Letang (undisclosed) is expected to play tonight. Letang missed practice yesterday but was stated as a maintenance day by HCMS.
- RW Beau Bennett (upper-body) is reportedly healthy, but likely will be a scratch often in this series.
- D Trevor Daley (ankle) is OUT the remainder of the season.
- LW Scott Wilson (lower-body) and C Kevin Porter (ankle) are OUT for the remainder of the season.
Organizational Notes:
- The final rosters for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey were announced last Friday and six Penguins will represent their countries in this tournament. They are:
- C Sidney Crosby (Canada)
- C Evgeni Malkin (Russia)
- G Matt Murray (Team North America)
- D Olli Maatta (Finland)
- RW Patric Hornqvist (Sweden)
- LW Carl Hagelin (Sweden)
Penguins/Sharks Matchup Notes:
- The Pens and Sharks split the 2015-16 season series with a win a piece.
- Each team won their game on the road.
- RW Phil Kessel (3G) and C Evgeni Malkin (1G-2A) led the Penguins in scoring v. San Jose in the regular season with 3 points each.
- Marc-Andre Fleury played in both games v. San Jose in the regular season, going 1-1 with a .937 save percentage.
- LW Patrick Marleau (1G-2A) led the Sharks in scoring v. Pittsburgh during the regular season with 3 points. D Brent Burns (2G), D Paul Martin (1G-1A) and RW Joel Ward (2A) each had two points.
- Martin Jones played in both games v. Pittsburgh in the regular season, going 1-1 with a .925 save percentage.
Penguins Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- RW Phil Kessel - 18pts (9G-9A)
- C Sidney Crosby - 15pts (6G-9A)
- C Nick Bonino - 15pts (3G-12A)
- C Evgeni Malkin - 15pts (4G-11A)
- LW Carl Hagelin - 12pts (5G-7A)
Miscellaneous Notes:
- This is a first for the Stanley Cup Finals on several accounts.
- It is the first time two teams with animal mascots will face each other in the Cup Finals.
- It is the first time that two teams with hockey sticks in their logos will face each other in the Cup Finals.
- It is the first time that the two teams in the Stanley Cup Finals also have their ECHL affiliates facing off in their championship round.
- This is the Penguins fifth trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.
- They are currently 3-1 in the Cup Finals, winning in 1991, 1992 and 2009. Their only loss came to Detroit in 2008.
- This is the Penguins first trip to the Cup Finals since 2009.
- This is the Penguins third Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the "Crosby/Malkin" era.
- RW Bryan Rust scored both goals in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals. That was his second multi-goal game in this year's playoffs.
#AskBigDave
Let me start by answering Todd's question. I think this is going to be one hell of a matchup and you are going to see the best hockey we've seen all season long over the next two and a half weeks. The Penguins are a team based on speed, depth and aggressively pressuring the puck. They have great balance up-and-down the lineup, and they can score at will when the mood catches them. The Sharks are very similar. They are deep, with a balanced lineup. They are big and physical, but they can skate really well. And like the Penguins, they have the scorers to drop a three-spot on you with a blink of an eye. The teams are really very evenly matched up. I think that will be evident early in this series.
Now, Rob, I see the Sharks as a hybrid of the Pens last two opponents. The Sharks are big and physical, just the same as the Washington Capitals. While being big and physical usually means you don't have the speed, the Sharks are a rare hybrid and thus are similar to the Caps and the Lightning. The Lightning were physical, but not overly big. Their forward corps can really skate, while their defenders are average as a group. The Sharks aren't speedsters like the Penguins are, but they are far from a slow team. In fact, if you have listened to or watched anything related to this series over the past few days, you will constantly hear how the Sharks are a big, physical team with great skating ability. That means they can at least give the Pens a run for their money in the speed category. So they are similar to the Caps in some ways, but they have a lot of the Lightning in them too.
Finally, Nick asks what concerns me the most about the Sharks. The easy answer is their power play. I have no second thoughts in naming the San Jose top unit the best power play in the entire NHL. Marleau, Thornton, Couture, Pavelski and Burns. Those are five guys that can not only dish the puck seamlessly and effortlessly, but they are a group that can score with ease and on a whim. If you watch video of them working on the man-advantage, you will see what I am talking about; quick one touch passes until they find the perfect shot and one-time it home. It is really impressive. The Capitals have a good power play, and the Pens kept them relatively in check. The Tampa and Ranger power plays were mediocre at best. This Sharks power play though, this will be a real tough test for the Penguins penalty killers. I have major concerns about our power play heading into this series, as it has struggled consistently throughout the season. The Pens PK has been a strength, but they've rarely faced this sort of group. The special teams play is going to be a major factor in the results of this series, and if the Sharks PP gets rolling, it will be a potential end to the Penguins. So that is definitely my biggest concern.
Projected LInes & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel
- Conor Sheary - 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. Play Your Game: The Penguins' speed and attack-minded style of play is what got them to this point. Frankly, to abandon that strategy now would be ludicrous. I want to see the Penguins play a complete, sixty minute game tonight where they utilize their speed on the forecheck, on puck pressure and on the rush. If they do that, they should create a lot of chances and keep the puck in the San Jose end more often than not.
3. Special Teams: God, the Pens PP really just has to get going at some point right? San Jose is a good defensive team, so it will be no easy for the Pens to score in bunches on the PP, but they will need more than they have gotten from that unit. On the flip side, the Pens PK has been outstanding, but they haven't faced as lethal a power play as San Jose's top unit. If the PK can limit that group, and the Pens can score a few goals, the battle of the special teams should favor Pittsburgh, making it easier to win games.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Phil Kessel: He would be my Conn Smythe pick at this point and I think he will only get better from here. Kessel has been one of the most talked about Penguins the last few days and for good reason; his best hockey has come at the most important time of the year. Tonight, I will look for the HBK line to get a favorable matchup against the Polak-Dillon pairing for San Jose. If that is the case, i think the HBK line, and Phil the Thrill could have a huge night.
3. Ben Lovejoy: He won't ever get the accolades of the big guys who post a lot of points, but don't for a second think the Penguins would have gotten this far without Ben Lovejoy being absolutely outstanding on the Pens blue line and penalty kill. The veteran d-man has been a plus-three over the course of the playoffs, and has added assists in each of his last two games. Tonight, I will look for Lovejoy and Maatta to likely get the Marleau-Couture-Donskol line, with Lovejoy facing off against Marleau. Should be a good matchup and I think Benny is up to the task.
What to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- Gates open at 6:30 for the 8pm puck drop.
- The Penguins will wear their "Pittsburgh Gold" jerseys tonight.
- Be sure to stop by PensGear Wednesday night to purchase your 2016 Stanley Cup Final merchandise.
- All fans in attendance tonight will receive a Penguins rally towel and Pittsburgh Gold t-shirt.
- Big Screen at First Niagara Fan Zone – Fans without tickets to Monday’s game are invited to catch the game on the Big Screen at the First Niagara Fan Zone located at the Peoples Gate! The First Niagara Fan Zone opens 3 hours before game time. All fans are invited to test their skills at a giant hockey inflatable, play interactive games, take advantage of free face painting and visit with Iceburgh and members of the Pittsburgh Penguins Ice Crew prior to the game!
- Steel City Gamerz will also be stationed at the First Niagara Fan Zone prior to Game 7 on Thursday! Get pumped for the game in this luxury, limo-style theater on wheels featuring 5 widescreen high-definition displays, surround sound and multiplayer gaming excitement! Go inside to play the latest hockey video games - for free!
- Miller Lite Party Plaza – Enjoy 24 oz. Miller Lite beers for only $6 at the Miller Lite Party Plaza located at the Verizon Gate! Opening 3 hours before game time, the Miller Lite Party Plaza will help you get ready for the game with free interactive games and a DJ!
- Bud Light Party Plaza - Enjoy 24 oz. Budweiser and Bud Light beers for only $6 at the Bud Light Party Plaza located at the Trib Total Media Gate! Opening 3 hours before game time, the Bud Light Party Plaza will help you get ready for the game with free interactive games and a DJ!
- Food Trucks – Grab a bite to eat before the game with the Penguins Food Truck round up lining Centre Avenue! Food trucks scheduled to appear prior to Monday’s game include: Las Chicas Mexican, Franktuary, Pittsburgh Smokehouse, Pittsburgh Pierogi Truck, Cool Beans, Dairy Queen, Dunkin’ Donuts and Nakama.
- Stop by Burgatory’s Burger & Shake Stand inside CONSOL Energy Center on Monday to try a Black & Gold Cake Shake. Thanks to Burgatory, $1 per shake served will benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation.
- “The Bulliest Dozer,” co-written by Penguins center Eric Fehr, is now available for sale at the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation’s silent auction stand outside of the First Niagara Club. This children’s book about why bullying doesn’t pay is signed by Fehr for just $20. You can also purchase the book by using the Foundation’s mobile bidding app at bidpal.net/pens.
Here is what you need to know for WATCHING tonight:
- The game is NATIONALLY televised on NBC at 8:00pm tonight.
- Coverage should begin at 6:00pm 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:
- Attending the Game: 50pts
- Merchandise Purchase: 10pts
- Concession Purchase: 10pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts