The Penguins are flying high! They currently are riding a five game win streak as they head north of the border to the Peg. Tonight, the Pens look to ground the Jets, who are off to a decent start this season.
Puck drop for Pens/Jets is at 8:00pm, Big Dave's Pens Pregame starts right now!
Also! Tonight's gameday song came up on my shuffle today and I thought it was the perfect song for tonight. From their album "Agony & Irony" is one of my favorite songs by Alkaline Trio, "Calling All Skeletons." Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
Despite all the fantastic numbers, the best part about this streak is the overall production of the entire team. Chris Kunitz has been on a tear the last few days, but the Pens have gotten goals from the likes of Craig Adams, Nick Spaling, Brandon Sutter, Blake Comeau and Steve Downie. Bottom six guys are scoring goals, that is key to any team's success and the Pens have it right now.
The play of the defense has been incredible as well. Fleury, deservingly so, gets the majority of the credit for three shutouts in five games, but the defense has played some great hockey as well. They have blocked shots, been calm with the puck and have put guys to the body when the opportunity presents itself. Guys like Rob Scuderi, Simon Despres have been exceptionally good for the last two weeks and guys like Kris Letang and Olli Maatta have been phenomenal at both ends.
The Pens are rolling and they hope to continue that tonight in Winnipeg.
Cool Your Jets
It may be early in the season, but don't tell the Winnipeg Jets. A team with some solid talent in the forward corps was slated at the beginning of the season to go no where this year, especially in the lethal Central Division. A month into the season, the Jets find themselves not only playing decent, but in the hunt in the Central Division. After thirteen games, they sit just two points behind the division leading St. Louis Blues and if they can keep it up, may really surprise some people come March/April. They have been just as hot as the Pens recently, going 5-0-1 in their last 6 games - the same record as the Pens in that span.
The Jets are offensively by a mix of veterans and young players. They have two Stanley Cup Champions on their second line in captain Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. Those two are centered by a great young man named Bryan Little. And that is the Jets' second line. Their top line consists of Evander Kane, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Scheifele and Kane are both under twenty-five and Wheeler is one of the NHL's best kept secrets in the cold of Winnipeg. Their blue line isn't as sexy as their forward corps, but the likes of Toby Enstrom and Zach Bogosian are solid defensemen on their roster. The key to the Jets success will be the play of their goaltender. Ondrej Pavelec is still the Jets netminder and has played relatively solid this year. If he can continue to play strong then the Jets may actually make a run at a playoff spot come April. If he struggles, the Jets will be back at the bottom of the league.
Here is what you need to know about the Jets:
They are currently 7-5-1 (15pts) and sitting third in the Central Division.
The Jets took down division foe Nashville on Tuesday by the score of 3-1.
The Pens took both games from the Jets last season. The Pens won 6-5 in January at home and 4-2 in Winnipeg in April last year.
Leading Scorers:
- C Bryan Little - 10pts (5G-5A)
- LW Andrew Ladd - 9pts (5G-4A)
- D Toby Enstrom - 8pts (0G-8A)
- RW Blake Wheeler - 8pts (5G-3A)
- D Zach Bogosian - 5pts (0G-5A)
Injuries:
- RW Anthony Peluso (upper-body) cleared to play and very well play tonight.
Projected Lines:
- Andrew Ladd - Bryan Little - Michael Frolik
- Evader Kane - Mark Scheifele - Blake Wheeler
- Mathieu Perreault - Adam Lowry - Dusti Byfuglien
- TJ Gallardi - Jim Slater - Chris Thornburn
Projected Pairs:
- Mark Stuart - Jacob Trouba
- Toby Enstrom - Zach Bogosian
- Grant Clitsome - Paul Postma
My Players to Watch:
- Blake Wheeler: When there was all the trade speculation going on with Winnipeg last year, I was praying for this guy to come back the other way. He has the defensive ability of Pascal Dupuis and the scoring touch of Chris Kunitz. He is a solid player and one of the best on their roster.
- Ondrej Pavelec: I still feel the Jets are not a true contender because of their goaltending situation. Pavelec has been playing well this year, but lets see if that continues. If he can shut down this Penguin team, a team that is really rolling offensively, I buy into the solid play of this team.
- Mark Scheifele: I don't know a lot about this kid, but he is supposed to be Jets' Ryan Johansen. He is a quality center who put up 34 points in 63 games last year. A full season and improved play and I think he can double his point totals from last season. Watch him tonight and watch his line.
News & Notes From Around the Pens
The Pens announced yesterday that they have re-signed goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a 4-year extension. More on that move below.
Pens held an optional skate before tonight's game. Lines and pairs are expected to remain the same from their win over Minnesota on Tuesday.
Beau Bennett has been skating with the Baby Pens this week and will play for them Friday night against their rivals the Hershey Bears at home.
Craig Adams will play in his 300th consecutive game for the Penguins when he hits the ice tonight. That is second in franchise history behind only Jordan Staal.
FOUR MORE YEARS!!!
As stated earlier, the Penguins announced yesterday that they officially re-signed franchise goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a four year extension. The deal is worth 23 million dollars, with an annual average salary of 5.75 million. Fleury was set to be a unrestricted free agent at season's end, but Pens GM Jim Rutherford stated about two weeks ago that he did not intend to allow Fleury to get there.
Fleury has been off to a torrent start this season. He is currently 7-2-0, with a 1.89 goals-against average and a save percentage of .931. In three of his last four starts, the Flower has shutout his opponents. He currently is the franchise leader in wins (295), games played (540) and shutouts (31). The former first overall pick has been lights out for the Penguins for the majority of his career, but seems to have really blossomed with the hiring of Mike Bales as goalie coach last year. Fleury had 23 career shutouts before Bales in over 450 games, but since Bales was hired Flower has posted 8 shutouts. Bales seems to get through to Fleury and Fleury seems to really take to Bales' advice.
There are many out there in Penguins nation who think this is a bad move; that the Pens are wasting money on an "average" goalie. Let me put this really simple for all who think that way: you are so WRONG. I honestly don't give a damn what the advanced statistics say. I don't care what his CORSI or FENWICK or whatever other of those stats say. Fleury knows how to win, he has won in the past, he will continue to win and as far as I am concerned, his heart makes him more valuable than any stupid statistic. I don't believe in those stats, I believe in the results. There were two years of poor playoff performances, fine, that goes without saying. However, Flower is the reason they lasted as long as they did in the Cup Finals in 08 and why they won the Cup in 09. He was solid in the playoffs in 2011 and again last year. Fleury is the answer whether you haters like it or not.
Some out there just like, pardon me for saying this, to bitch about the Flower. I get it, I have my guys I complain about too. However, you have to understand he's better than 90% of the goalies in this league. Regardless of what those advance stats say, he is among the top 5. So find a new scapegoat, because the Flower is the answer to the Penguins goalie position. Period.
Projected LInes & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Pascal Dupuis - Evgeni Malkin - Blake Comeau
- Nick Spaling - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
- Zach Sill - Marcel Goc - Craig Adams
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Paul Martin
- Christian Ehrhoff - Robert Bortuzzo
- Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres
My Keys to the Game
2. The Third Line: We saw on Tuesday the group of Spaling-Sutter-Downie begin to show some serious chemistry. I think that's really big. The reason, besides the obvious, is that if they play this well, it would make the most sense to keep them together and give Bennett another shot with Geno on the 2nd line. If they continue to show chemistry and produce, doesn't make much sense to break them up.
3. Showing Up: The Pens have a five game win streak, but they tend to take teams they typically run over lightly. They can't do that even though they have handled the Jets in recent years. I want to see the Pens come out flying tonight and keep the pedal down. I am not as concerned with this as I used to be, but it is still always a concern in the back of my mind.
My 3 Players to Watch
2. Simon Despres: I really like the way he has been playing the last two weeks. He has been incredibly physical and his play with the puck has gotten much better with each game. I want to see him continue this solid play and get some more minutes, especially in the absence of Olli Maatta.
3. Pascal Dupuis: I haven't been blown away with his play the last few games. He has been solid defensively, but he hasn't generated much offensively - especially at even strength. I would like to see him and Geno build some more chemistry and make that second line a little stronger at even strength.
What You Need to Know About Watching
- Coverage starts on ROOT Sports at 730 with Penguins Pregame.
- Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey have the call from Winnipeg starting at 8:00pm. Dan Potash will handle the interviews.
- ROOT Sports will have the post game show following the game action as well.
- Pens Radio Net and 105.9 The X have the radio call.
- Bob Grove will host Penguins Pregame at 7:00pm and will return following the action with Penguins Hot Line.
- Mike Lange and the Ol Two-Niner have the call on the radio.
- Pens Points are available: ROOT Sports Pregame Code, ROOT Sports Post game code and Pens Radio Net keyword.