Its a hockey night in the Burgh and it's the first time our boys have been home in nearly two weeks!
Welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Tonight, the Pens will look to avenge their 5-0 schalaking at the hands of the New York Rangers on Tuesday.
Since the Rangers were the opponent earlier in the week and the Pens are coming off a game last night, this will be a shorter edition of the Pregame. Just so y'all are aware, not as much to report on as usual. With that, let's get on a truckin!
Tonight's game day song is one of the best jams of the 1990s. Common at most hockey games and one of my favorite 90s rock songs. Here it is off their hit album, Ten, Pearl Jam's "Even Flow."
The State of the Penguins
Pittsburgh returned to their winning was after a somewhat sluggish start in the first. They weren't sluggish in the fact they were lazy, more sluggish in they didn't generate as much as we are used to in the first. I attribute that to the new line combinations, for as the game went on there were more chances for the Penguins.
They earned a well-fought win last night and were phenomenal in the penalty kill again. The only downsides to the loss were the number of penalties taken and the power play. The Pens will look to correct those issues and keep their solid 5-on-5 play going tonight when they host the Rangers.
New York, New York
Here is what you need to know about the Rangers:
Rangers are 7-6-3 overall with 17pts. They currently sit 5th in the Metropolitan Division. New York is 4-3-3 in their last 10 games overall.
Leading Scorers:
- LW Rick Nash - 18pts (12G-6A)
- C Derick Brassard - 13pts (6G-7A)
- RW Martin St. Louis - 12pts (5G-7A)
- LW Chris Kreider - 10pts (4G-6A)
- LW Mats Zuccarello - 8pts (3G-5A)
Injuries:
- Captain D Ryan McDonagh is still out with the separated shoulder.
Projected Lines:
- Rick Nash - Derick Brassard - Marty St. Louis
- Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Mats Zuccarello
- Carl Hagelin - Kevin Hayes - Lee Stempniak
- Tanner Glass - Dominic Moore - Jesper Fast
Projected Pairs:
- Marc Staal - Dan Boyle
- Dan Girardi - John Moore
- Matt Hunwick - Kevin Klein
King Henrik is expected to start in the goal.
News & Notes Around the Pens
Don't be shocked if you see Olli Maatta tonight. He wanted to play yesterday but the coaching staff held him back. It sounded as though he would return tonight however. So don't be shocked if the young defenseman returns to the lineup just 11 days after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.
If Olli Maatta does return tonight, expect Robert Bortuzzo to be relegated to "Press Box Hero."
Blake Comeau missed last nights game due to illness. No update until 5pm on the team, but I expect him to return tonight and play on the fourth line with Goc and Adams.
Marc-Andre Fleury will likely get the start in the cage tonight. Griess played in Toronto last night.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Pascal Dupuis
- Nick Spaling - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist
- Steve Downie - Brandon Sutter - Beau Bennett
- Blake Comeau - Marcel Goc - Craig Adams
If Maatta doesn't return, expect the same pairs as last night. That being said, I expect Maatta to play tonight. If that is in fact the case, expect these pairings:
- Olli Maatta - Kris Letang
- Christian Ehrhoff - Paul Martin
- Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres
Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start in the cage. Greiss backing up.
My Keys To the Game
Power Play: It was terrible last night. Looked awful and produced little opportunity. Rick Tocchet needs to get these guys' heads straight against the Rangers. Cannot afford to miss out on power play opportunities and CANNOT allow shorties to them either.
Limit the Penalties: The Pens got lucky last night that they were able to kill off all six penalties. They cannot sustain that success regardless of their talent and their opponent. Undisciplined play leads to goals and leads to losses. Get your head straight and don't take selfish or lazy penalties, especially coming off the back to back.
My 3 Players to Watch
2. Marc-Andre Fleury: Coming off a tough loss where he didn't play all that poorly, the Flower needs a big rebound. He has decent career numbers against the Rangers, and I expect a return to that kind of play. Big night for the Flower, I can feel it.
3. Christian Ehrhoff: I thought he played his best game of the year last night in Toronto. He will need to keep that going tonight, regardless of his partner. He is better suited to play alongside Paul Martin, but if he stays with Bortuzzo tonight he needs to be what he was last night.
Honorable Mention, Olli Maatta: Still no word if he plays tonight, but I think he does. If Maatta does go, expect nothing less than his typical high standard of production. The kid is a flat out freak, in the good sense of the term. I for one will be very happy to see him back in the lineup.
Metropolitan Standings
- Pittsburgh Penguins - 23pts
- New York Islanders - 22pts
- New Jersey Devils - 18pts
- Washington Capitals - 17pts
- New York Rangers - 17pts
- Philadelphia Flyers - 16pts
- Carolina Hurricanes - 13pts
- Columbus Blue Jackets - 11pts
What You Need to Know If Watching or Attending
- Puck Drops at 7:00pm tonight.
- Because of construction and congestion, the doors to Consol Energy Center will open at 5:30pm for all November home games.
- The Penguins will wear their new 3rd jerseys tonight for the second time this season. Be sure to wear your gold too!
- During warmups, the Pens will wear those awesome camo jerseys to show support for our nation's veterans. The jerseys will then be signed by the players and auctioned off starting tonight and running through December 5th. The money raised will go to charity, including the Wounding Warrior Project.
- For those arriving before 6:00pm tonight, you will receive a voucher for 50% off standard concessions tonight. That does not include alcohol, Burgatory or any of the specialty stands.
- Tonight's Pens Gear "Gameday Special" is 10% off all Pittsburgh Gold hats.
- Remember to set your DVRs for the latest episode of "In the Room" will premiere following the the post game on ROOT Sports.
For those of you watching at home tonight, here is what you need to know:
- ROOT Sports has coverage beginning at 6:30 with Penguins Pregame.
- Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald will have the TV call for ROOT starting at 7. Dan Potash will handle the interviews.
- Penguins Post Game will follow the game action and In The Room follows the Post Game.
- Pens Radio Net and 105.9 The X have the radio call tonight. Mike Lange and the Ol Two-Niner on the call for that one at 7:00pm
- Bob Grove will host Penguins Pregame starting at 6pm and follow the action with Pens Hot Line.
Remember, a bunch of Pens Points are available tonight. You can receive them for the following:
- Game Attendance
- Concession Purchase
- Merchandise Purchase
- Pens Radio Net Keyword
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword
- ROOT Sports Postgame Keyword
- Arena Scavenger Hunt
That is it for me folks. Enjoy the game. I haven't decided on whether I will just tweet my post game thoughts are type up a "View From Where I Sat." Stay tuned for that later on.
Thank you all for tuning in and reading the latest editions of the Pregame and all my other posts and tweets! Keep up your awesome support, means the world!
LETS GO PENS!!!
Cheers!