Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. The Penguins wrap up their current four-game homestand tonight before playing in back to back games this weekend. Tonight, the Penguins will play host to the St. Louis Blues at Consol Energy Center before traveling to Columbus on Friday.
The puck drops on Blues/Pens tonight at 7:00pm, but you can begin preparing for the game here and now... Enjoy!
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" comes from a great pop-punk outfit from Rochester, NY. I saw them at Warped Tour a few years back and was really taken with their album "Clash, Battle, Guilt, Pride." I found it again on my iTunes the other night and decided to go with it. This is the Polar Bear Club's "Slow Roam." Enjoy it!
The State of the Penguins
The Penguins, a quarter of the way through the 2015-16 season, are still a team that lacks an identity. They were dreadful against Columbus and New Jersey 10 days ago. Following that debacle, they won two games against Minnesota and Colorado, though not convincingly, in the mid-week before dropping Saturday's matchup v. San Jose.
The Pens do not play good, sound hockey. The Mike Johnston experiment simply isn't working and though the stars are looking better, they aren't doing nearly enough to mask the failings of this mediocre team.
You may think mediocre is a strong term for a team that currently sits at 12-8-0 and 5th in the Eastern Conference. But don't let the record or standings fool you, this team is mediocre.
The Penguins, not just the team, but the brass in the front office, need to decide how much longer this lack-luster team will be allowed to continue down this path. I for one, think moves need to be made sooner, rather than later, if this team is going to succeed and have a shot at Lord Stanley's Cup this season. For more on this, check out the final question in the #AskBigDave section of this Pregame.
The Penguins need to be better. They need more heart, fight and without question better play from their players. They can continue to put a band-aid on a bullet wound, but that would be the easy path and one that will not help this team or organization in the long run...
Steady Eddy in the Gateway City: The ST. Louis Blues
The Blues have been a quality hockey club for the past few seasons. They have been among the President's Trophy contenders over each of the last three seasons, but have yet to find any success in playoffs. They were eliminated in each of the last three seasons before the conference finals, including two first round eliminations.
It is hard to fathom why St. Louis cannot find success in the post season. They have a solid team on the ice every single night. They are led by offensive dynamo Vladimir Tarasenko, US Olympian David Backes, Alex steen and Paul Statsny. On the back end, the Blues boast a dynamic duo on the blue line of Kevin Shattenkirk and Alex Pietrangelo, along with veteran Jay Bouwmeester. In net, they have a tandem of Jake Allen and Brian Elliot splitting duties in the crease.
While they have struggled in the post season, the Blues have figured out the secret to regular season success. This season has been no different to date. St. Louis enters tonight with the fourth best record in the NHL. Their 14-6-2 record currently has them sitting in second in the Central, behind the high-flying Dallas Stars.
As expected, the dynamic Tarasenko picked up from where he left off in his breakout 2014-15 season. Through 21 games, Tarasenko has posted 13 goals and 22 points on St. Louis' top line. Alex Steen find himself second in scoring behind his linemate, posting 17 points in 22 games. They are centered by Paul Statsny, who will play in just his seventh game tonight. Troy Brouwer, who was acquired by the Blues in the offseason for TJ Oshie, has added 13 points from the bottom six. Finally, the blue line has produced 41 points on the season, including 12 points from youngster Colton Parayko and nine a piece from Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo. Finally, Jake Allen has taken control of the crease in St. Louis. While duties have typically been split between him and Brian Elliot, Allen has jumped out of the gate to a 10-4-1 record with a 1.98 goals against average. He is expected in net tonight.
The Blues are a solid team. They will play stifling defense that will make this game potentially dull to watch, but the stylish play of Vlad Tarasenko, Steen, Backes, Lehtera and Statsny make this team a lethal offensive threat. The Penguins must be careful, they could easily find themselves left in the dust by this Western Conference powerhouse...
What You Need To Know About St. Louis:
- 14-6-2 on the season, good for second in the Central and 4th in the NHL.
- 6-3-1 in their last 10 games, including a win Monday night in Buffalo.
- The Blues currently have a plus-six goal differential.
- St. Louis has been great on the road, going 8-4-0 on the season thus far away from their home ice.
Scoring Leaders:
- RW Vladimir Tarasenko - 22pts (13G-9)
- LW Alexander Steen - 17pts (8G-9A)
- RW Troy Brouwer - 13pts (5G-8A)
- D Colton Parayko - 12pts (5G-7A)
- C David Backes - 11pts (5G-6A)
- C Jori Lehtera - 11pts (3G-8A)
Injury Report:
- LW Jaden Schwartz (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Schwartz required ankle surgery at the end October that will keep him sidelined for nearly 3 months.
- C Patrik Berglund (upper-body) is OUT tonight. The veteran center has yet to play this season after requiring offseason shoulder surgery.
Lines:
- Alexander Steen - Paul Statsny - Vladimir Tarasenko
- Magnus Paajarvi - Jori Lehtera - Dmitrij Jaskin
- Robby Fabbri - David Backes - Troy Brouwer
- Steve Ott - Kyle Brodziak - Scottie Upshall
Pairs:
- Jay Bouwmeester - Alex Pietrangelo
- Carl Gunnarsson - Kevin Shattenkirk
- Colton Parayko - Robert Bortuzzo
Jake Allen is expected to start in net tonight for St. Louis.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- No updates on Olli Maatta or Bryan Rust.
The Pens/Blues Matchup:
- The Pens split the season series last year, but earned three points out of four. The Penguins lost 3-2 in OT in Pittsburgh in late March, but took the outing in St. Louis 4-2 in February.
- Four of the last seven matchups between these two teams has gone to overtime.
- The Penguins returning leading scorer in this matchup is Patric Hornqvist, he had one goal. Letang, Malkin and Crosby each had one assist.
- Vladimir Tarasenko is the returning leading scorer for St. Louis. He had two assists in last season's matchups.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Five of the next six games for Pittsburgh will be on the road. They will be home Saturday v. Edmonton.
- The Pens 40 wins versus the Western Conference over the last three seasons leads all Eastern Conference teams entering tonight.
- The Pens power play has been better of late, going 4-16 over the last three games.
- Pittsburgh is 7-4-0 at Consol Energy Center thus far this season.
#AskBigDave
From Claire H on the Tweety: "I am a new fan, so I need some perspective: is there always so much drama or is this season unusually bad because of low scoring?"
Claire, this is an excellent question. Let me begin by welcoming you to Pens nation. This fandom, as Ron Weasley once said, will make you miserable, but you'll be happy about it.
Since you are a new fan, you are of course new to the reactions of Pens fans on social media. You ask specifically is it always like this or just this year. Let me first begin my answer by saying that someone is usually pissed off about something, even if everything is going well. It is just the nature of the sports world in the age of social media. So to an extent, yes, there is always a lot of drama around the Penguins and the fan base.
Now, the last two-three years have been particularly dramatic for a variety of reasons. It really began with the disappointing exit in the 2014 Playoffs. Shero was let go, Bylsma dangled for weeks before his staff was axed and then the letting go of over 50% of that roster over the last two offseasons, as well as the hiring of a new GM and coaching staff have been turbulent to say the least.
Last year, there were questions entering the season with new players, a new GM, head coach, etc. Expectations were relatively low because of them, but the Pens start completely teased the fan base and we have since been looking for that level of play. The Penguins of October-November 2014 were an outstanding hockey team. They played 60 minutes, played a flawless, dynamic system and were fun as hell to watch. That all changed and we have been looking for it ever since. Now, injuries and other things have gotten in the way, but at the end of the day, this team has grossly underperformed for the entire 2015 calendar year.
With that all in mind, I give you my ultimate answer. Penguins fans are used to excellence. We have been blessed, and spoiled by the likes of Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, Crosby, Malkin, and three Stanley Cups over the last 30 years. We expect lots of scoring and success so we tend to be more critical than ever when things are going south. On one end, the drama is annoying (and I am guilty of saying dramatic things when things are going bad as well), but on the other end of things I think it shows just how much this fan base cares about this organization. So in conclusion, Pens nation is usually a little dramatic because we care so much, but this year has been particularly chaotic because of the nature of the team's play.
From Rob A on the Tweety: "Being that GMJR is in the market for a top-4 defenseman, who is available and/or whose is he willing to part with?"
Rob, this is a question that is likely on every Pens fans' mind at the moment. The defense has overachieved to this point and GMJR has made public he will make a move for a top-4 defenseman. That leads to all kinds of speculation, and lets face it, fun among the fan base, to come up with trades that would bring guys into this organization and other guys out the door. In our minds, we are all GMs that could pull off the move of the century to lead this team to glory. And I must admit, it is fun to speculate on these moves.
So, lets start with who is available. To do this, we must start with guys we know will likely be available because they are in the final years of their respective contracts. Among these names are Dustin Byfuglien (WPG), Alex Goligoski (DAL), Brian Campbell (FLA), Dan Hamhuis (VAN), Nikita Nikitin (EDM), Braydon Coburn (TBL), Nicholas Grossman (ARI), Marek Zidlicky (NYI) and Kyle Quincey (DET). There are some big names, and contracts, amongst this bunch. Now, it is very unlikely that some of these guys go because they are on contending teams. So you could probably take Zidlicky, Coburn, Goligoski, Quincy and Hamhuis off the list. This is unfortunate, because all five of them would be solid pickups for the Penguins and I'd gladly take any one of them. What remains are Big Buf, Nikitin, Campbell and Grossman. I don't like Byfuglien. He isn't responsible defensively and takes too many selfish penalties. While he is a big-bodied bruiser with a big shot, he wouldn't be a good fit. Nikitin is an alright player, but he has done little to stand out in a top-4 role in Edmonton. Grossman is average as well and not a top-four defenseman for a contending team. The best of the bunch is Florida's Brian Campbell, but due to his contract and his tenure in Florida, I don't see him being moved to Pittsburgh.
Then there are the guys on the rumor mill. Colorado's Tyson Barrie has been tossed around a bit of late. While he is a solid offensive defenseman, he still has holes in his defensive game that wouldn't necessarily benefit down the stretch. With Sergei Gonchar with the organization, I think he could make Barrie a great two-way defenseman, but I'm not sold that Colorado will give him up. Chicago's Trevor Daley is available as well, but he is not the answer to the Penguins problems either.
What I am most interested in looking at, are guys who will be UFAs in 2017. Among those names are Brent Burns (SJS), Dennis Wideman (CAL), Ladislav Smid (CAL), Kevin Shattenkirk (STL), Dmitiri Kulikov (FLA), Viktor Hedman (TBL), and Cody Franson (BUF). There are a lot more names amongst this list that interest me. Burns, of course, would be at the top of my list, but I do not see San Jose letting him walk. Viktor Hedman is a great defenseman and Tampa will have some decisions to make financially starting with Stamkos this offseason. He is a name that could be available at the right price, but probably not during the season. Kevin Shattenkirk is a name that is very interesting and has been shopped in the past. I would be all for him being picked up. Same can be said for Cody Franson of Buffalo. Many in Pens nation called for GMJR to sign him this summer, but because of the cap issues, it couldn't be done. A deal at the deadline could be possible, but he won't come cheap either.
Now, the second part of your question Rob: Who is GMJR willing to give up? Obviously, Rob Scuderi is on this list, but if they haven't moved him by now, I doubt they will be able to. Chris Kunitz is another name. He had a down 2014-15 and hasn't set the world on fire this year either. The 35-year-old is popular in the room, but his 4-plus million cap hit is not amongst the brass. He would be someone with worth they could move, if they could find someone in need of a veteran forward. David Perron, who has played well of late and is an impending UFA, will be a name constantly tossed around. He would be able to fetch a decent return, but it is hard to trade a guy who has played very well over the last month. Finally, there are those in the system, namely Derrick Pouliot, Matt Murray and Tristan Jarry. The brass likes all three, but the coaching staff seems against Pouliot for whatever reason. I don't see GMJR giving up Pouliot unless he can get a huge name. Matt Murray, I feel, is the goalie of the future. It would be difficult to trade him away but Tristan Jarry could be. Jarry is 4-0 in WBS so far and could be NHL ready by next season. To the right organization, such as a Calgary who desperately need a goaltender, Jarry could be a useful chip.
I don't know what the Penguins will do, but I hope that gives you some options to play with Rob.
From ZK1223 on the Tweety: "What are the Pens chances of winning the Cup this season?"
ZK, this is probably the other question weighing on the Penguins' fan base. Many in the media didn't think this was a Stanley Cup contender in the preseason and I completely agreed with that. I didn't think the defense was good enough even though they should score a ton. I had them making the playoffs, maybe getting to the second round, but not further.
Well, as you know, the season has been the opposite. Scoring has been abysmal, defense has been overachieving and Marc-Andre Fleury has saved Mike Johnston's job for at least a month now.
As the Penguins currently sit, I DO NOT think they will win the Stanley Cup this year, let alone be a threat for it. If things continue the way they are, they will likely limp into the playoffs again and be sent packing early.
Now, if the Penguins make a few moves, then they very easily could go from marginal playoff team to Cup contender. The moves that would be necessary to do that, at least how I see it, are as follows:
- Fire Mike Johnston and bring in someone outside the organization. While many feel Jacques Martin or Mike Sullivan are the answer, I think they need someone who hasn't been around and who won't cater to these guys. I'd take a Guy Boucher or Mike Keanan in that respect, or John Tortorella had he been available.
- Secondly, they need to make a trade for a top-4 defenseman. Dumoulin/Lovejoy will be burned out by the playoffs if their current usage continues and Scuds/Letang is not a viable answer, nor is Clendening in a full-time role. They will need to add a guy and I give some names in the above question. So add one of them into a top four with Letang, Cole and Maatta then you'd be better off. Lovejoy and Dumoulin would remain your shutdown, third pair (similar to Scuderi-Gill in 2009).
- Finally, proper player usage. Daniel Sprong needs to play in a legitimate role, i.e. on the left wing with Crosby and Hornqvist. Rob Scuderi needs to become #PressBoxHero while the likes of Kunitz and Dupuis are strictly used in a bottom six role. The line of Kunitz-Bonino-Bennett is a solid third line and a fourth line of Dupuis-Cullen-Fehr would be simply phenomenal.
If the Penguins were to do those moves ZK, then I think they could certainly contend for a Cup this season. But if things remain how they are for any extended period of time, then this will be nothing but another lost season for the organization.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Pascal Dupuis - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- David Perron - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Chris Kunitz - Nick Bonino - Beau Bennett
- Sergei Plotnikov - Matt Cullen - Eric Fehr
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Rob Scuderi
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Adam Clendening - Ian Cole
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Bottom Six: The Pens bottom six hasn't been anything to ride home about the last two games. I'd like to see more scoring from this unit, particularly guys like Bonino, Bennett and Fehr. I think if the Penguins can get secondary scoring from these lines tonight, they will have a very good chance in beating the Blues tonight.
3. Star Power: The Penguins stars need to be stars tonight. They were lackluster against San Jose, which is disappointing considering how they played against Minnesota and Colorado. I'd like to see Malkin, Crosby, Letang be huge tonight, especially to outshine Tarasenko, Steen and Statsny.
My 3 Penguins To Watch
2. Nick Bonino: Bonino has been invisible of late, and that's not counting the game he missed. I expect more scoring and production out of him, and I would like to see it sooner rather than later. He is far more talented than the numbers thus far suggest. Bonino has the tools around him, he just needs to put it all together.
3. Patric Hornqvist: Nobody works harder than this guy. I wish we could have 20 more guys just like him. Tonight is a game where Hornqvist should flourish. It will be a tight, close checking game. That usually means goals come from the crease on second chances. Horqvist's bread and butter. I think he gets one tonight.
What You Need to Know for Attending/Watching/listening
- The puck drops on Pens/Jackets at 7:00pm. Gates at Consol open at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional home jerseys tonight.
- Pens Gear's Gameday Special is buy any adult sweatshirt, get a youth sweatshirt for 50% off
- This year's "Pens and Paws" calendar is now available. You can pick one up behind section 120 or 217 tonight or order online.
Here is what you need to know if you're watching tonight's game:
- ROOT Sports has the coverage tonight. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey with the call beginning at 7:00pm. Dan Potash will have the interviews.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage beginning at 6:30pm.
- Penguins Post Game will follow the game action.
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 7:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage at 6:00pm. Josh Getzoff will host.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action.
Pens Points:
- Attending the Game: 50pts
- Concession Purchases: 10pts
- Merchandise Purchases: 10pts
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts
Alright, that will do it for me tonight.
I would like to thank you all for stopping by and checking out the latest pregame. I hope you enjoyed it. Id like to thank Claire, Rob and ZK for their excellent questions. I hope you found them and my answers interesting.
Just a heads up of what to expect from me the remainder of the week.
- I will NOT have a View From Where I Sat tonight or for this weekend's games. I am traveling home for the holidays and I don't expect I'll be able to watch the games. So no post-game thoughts from me.
- Next, I will NOT have Pregame's for Friday or Saturday. Again, because of the holidays and traveling, I won't have the time to sit down and put in my full effort and I don't want to give you guys a half-assed post. So no Pregames Friday or Saturday.
- The Pregame WILL return for Tuesdays matchup against San Jose.
I would like to take a second to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the food, the drink and of course, your family and friends. Be careful traveling as well.
I will see you all next week. Enjoy the game and have a great weekend. LETS GO PENS!!!