Normally everyone's least favorite day of the week turned better today with the fact that it is a hockey night in Pittsburgh! The Pens begin a weeklong home stand that will start tonight with one of the NHLs top teams in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Puck drop tonight is at 7:00pm but you can get prepared with the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame right now! So let's get into it!
Tonight's gameday song is from an American legend. Most of you already know this song and if you don't, you're about to get educated real quick! From the legendary Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Runnin' Down A Dream."
Crosby Diagnosed With Mumps
A rather peculiar situation for the Captain and the team. Crosby was vaccinated for the virus last winter before joining Team Canada in Sochii for the Olympics. Since then, a handful of NHL players have come down with the condition, including fellow Olympians Corey Perry and Ryan Suter. The Penguins were all tested about month ago for the disease, but everyone tested negative, including Crosby.
On November 28, the Captain sustained a strain in the neck against Carolina that resulted in a swollen salivary gland. The medical staff put him on an anti-inflammatory, gave Sid another vaccine for mumps and monitored the situation. Crosby concluded the course of anti-inflammatories this week and the following day he began to have swelling next to the area again. Once again, tests for mumps were negative.
Friday we saw the picture above. The team did not know what to make of it considering all their test were coming back negative. They sent a sample to the CDC and decided to scratch Crosby for the next two days. Last night, the CDC confirmed Sidney Crosby had mumps.
So what does this mean going forward?
For Crosby, he missed Friday, Saturday and will miss tonight against the Lightning. The medical staff believes that his infectious period will be over Monday, and he would be able to return to the team as early as Tuesday. His timetable for return to the lineup hasn't been discussed, but he could be in the lineup as early as Thursday v. Colorado.
As for the Pens, it opens up a bigger can of worms. Crosby was around the team on Friday during his contagious period. It hasn't been said whether he was around the team on Thursday, but several members visited sick children at Childrens Hospital on Thursday afternoon. Were they contagious/carrying the infection on the visit? No one is sure. The Pens are on high alert and have been disinfecting the locker rooms on a semi-daily basis to prevent the rest of the team from catching the virus. With the rest of the health concerns around the team, the last thing they need is an epidemic of mumps.
As for my thoughts on the matter, it simply is what it is. There is nothing that the Pens could have done. The doctors were telling them it was fine and that the tests were negative. If Sid had known, he would never jeopardize his teammates, staff and their families by being around them. This falls on the medical staff in my opinion. Hopefully, it won't spread.
You also have to wonder why this is happening. How is it that something everyone is vaccinated for is spreading like wild fire across the league? That leads me to question whether the Olympians received a bad batch of the vaccine. Think about it, of the six or eight reported cases of mumps, three of the guys were inoculated for Sochii and the other few guys were teammates in the NHL of those players. I'm no doctor, but it seems to make sense.
Regardless, Sidney Crosby has mumps and will not be in the lineup again tonight.
The State of the Penguins
The Pens entered the Columbus game with Crosby, Kunitz, Sill, Dupuis and Bennett on the shelf with injury and illness. Two youngsters, 22 year old Bryan Rust and 25 year old Bobby Farnham, would make their NHL debuts.
The Pens were outplayed in the first period in Columbus. That being said, the Penguins did not play bad in that period. The Jackets were incredibly physical and sent the Pens to the boards it seemed every other second. They got an early goal against Thomas Greiss before the physicality overflowed and a couple scraps broke out after cross-checks to Steve Downie off a faceoff. Farnham and Downie ended up fighting a couple Jackets and the Pens actually came away with a power play.
The game would see the continuation of (pardon me) piss poor officiating by the crew. Penalties called were often not and ones that should have been called were not. The Pens played a solid overall game and fought hard. Kris Letang added two goals, including a game-tying goal with only 10 seconds left. The Pens forced a shootout, but Greiss was embarrassed in the shootout and the Pens fell.
The Pens enter tonight earning four of six points last week. They got Kris Letang back in the lineup on Friday and he was a force in both games - scoring three goals and leading the team in ice-time. Patric Hornqvist also returned and was productive. However, the weekend was rough on the health of the team as well. Crosby missed both games with mumps. Sill was knocked out in the first period against Calgary and will miss several weeks with an upper-body injury and Robert Bortuzzo missed the last twenty-five minutes of the game in Columbus. On top of that, Olli Maatta missed all three games last week and there are rumors flying about that he may be done for the season with a shoulder injury.
Despite all the negatives that seem to be surrounding this team healthwise at the moment, the Pens are finding ways to win. They lead the Metro and are among the top teams in the East. Tonight, they face another Eastern Conference powerhouse in Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
All Flash and Thunder
...and success is what they have found. The Lightning find themselves at the top of the Atlantic Division with forty-one points after thirty-one games played. They are paced in scoring by the phenomenal Steven Stamkos, but have gotten huge production from the youngsters Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. Despite losing top defenseman Viktor Hedman for roughly twenty games, the defensive corps have been sensational, especially offensively. All of which is good, but means nothing if goaltending is struggling. Luckily, Ben Bishop doesn't appear to be a "one-hit wonder" and truly is a great goalie. He has won sixteen of twenty-four starts this season with a 2.34 GAA. Jon Cooper has his team flying high and he hopes to continue that against the injury-plagued Penguins tonight.
Here is what you need to know about Tampa Bay:
- Tampa is 19-9-3 overall with 41 points. They are currently tied atop the Atlantic Division with the Detroit Red Wings.
- The Lightning dropped their game Saturday night 4-2 to Washington but have won 6 of their previous ten games. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10.
- The Tampa barn is where the Lightning perform best, which is good news for Pittsburgh. Tampa is 6-4-3 on the road this season compared to a 12-4-1 record at home.
The Pens/Lightning Matchup:
- Tonight is the first of three games between the two teams. All three games will be played in the next three weeks. The Pens will play in Tampa on December 23rd and host the Lightning again here on January 2nd.
- The Pens swept the season series last year, winning all three games by a combined score of 12-7
- The Penguins have won 10 of their last 12 regular games against the Lightning dating back to January 5, 2011. That mark includes nine consecutive victories overall and seven consecutive at Consol Energy Center.
- Forward Evgeni Malkin loves playing Tampa Bay. He has points in eight straight against the Lightning and 21 points overall in those contests.
- Marc-Andre Fleury has also won six consecutive starts against Tampa.
Tampa Scoring Leaders:
- C Steven Stamkos - 34pts (17G-17A)
- C Tyler Johnson - 30pts (9G-21A)
- RW Nikita Kucherov - 26pts (11G-15A)
- RW Ryan Callahan - 23pts (11G-12A)
- C Valtteri Filppular - 22pts (5G-17A)
Injury Report:
- D Radko Gudas missed Saturday's contest with a stomach virus. He is expected to return to the lineup tonight.
- LW Ondrej Palat also missed Saturday's game against Washington due to a lower-body injury. He is a game-time decision for tonight, but Coach Jon Cooper said Saturday there was a good chance he returns after the weekend.
Projected Lines:
- Valtteri Filppula- Steven Stamkos - Ryan Callahan
- Alex Killorn - Tyler Johnson - Nikita Kucherov
- Jonathan Drouin - Cedric Paquette - JT Brown
- Brenden Morrow - Brian Boyle - Brett Connolly
Projected D-Pairs:
- Viktor Hedman - Anton Stralman
- Jason Garrison - Radko Gudas
- Matt Carle - Andrej Sustr
Ben Bishop is expected to get the start in net tonight.
News & Notes
- C Sidney Crosby is OUT tonight with mumps. The team has confirmed that he is no longer contagious.
- LW Beau Bennett on the other hand, has been placed in quarantine with Mumps-likes symptoms. He was already out of the lineup with a knee injury. Even worse, Bennett was on the Childrens Hospital visit last week. Anyone he was in contact with is being tested.
- Robert Bortuzzo (undisclosed) is OUT tonight. He didn't play the final 25 in Columbus on Saturday night after sustaining an injury.
- Olli Maatta is getting a second opinion on his shoulder. Team should know more in coming days.
The Penguins recalled defenseman Scott Harrington yesterday afternoon from Wilkes-Barre. The 21 year old Kingston, Ontario native is used to the call-ups by now, but hopefully this time it will see him make his NHL debut. He projects to be a very good defensive defenseman, so if he does indeed crack the lineup, I would like to see him play alongside Rob Scuderi.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Evgeni Malkin - Brandon Sutter - Patric Hornqvist
- Blake Comeau - Marcel Goc - Steve Downie
- Nick Spaling - Craig Adam - Bobby Farnham
- Rob Klinkhammer - Andrew Ebbett - Bryan Rust
Defensive Pairs will have one change with Borutzzo out. Dumoulin will slot in. Here are the pairs:
- Kris Letang - Paul Martin
- Brian Dumoulin - Christian Ehrhoff
- Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres
Marc-Andre Fleury starts in net.
My Keys To the Game
Defense: With the injury situation up front and the strength of the team in town, the Penguins defense will need to be top notch tonight. I don't think they need to be flawless, but the closer to flawless they get the better chance the Penguins come away with a win tonight.
Power Play: It still isn't quite up to snuff, but in a game where it can make or break a win, the Pens need to take advantage of any power play opportunities they get. It starts with Letang quarterbacking, but the other four players need to make things happen for him and the power play to get on track.
My 3 Players to Watch
2. Bryan Rust: I like the way the rookie played in his NHL debut. He will skate on the forth line with Ebbett and Klinkhammer tonight, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him get a shift or two with Malkin or Sutter. He has some talent, I'd like to see him get a shot with someone better than Ebbett, Adams and Goc.
3. Evgeni Malkin: Geno has played incredibly well this year and has been an absolute force of late. Without Sidney, the Pens need him play up to his talent level, which he has. Now, as stated earlier, Malkin has phenomenal numbers against the Lightning. He has points in 8 straight against them and 21 points in those games. He will need to continue that sort of play tonight as the Pens continue to recover from their abundance of injuries.
What to KNow for Attending & Watching
- Doors open at 5:30 for a 7:00pm puck drop.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional black jerseys.
- Every fan in attendance will receive a pair of Penguins Mittens courtesy of Highmark.
- The Pens Gear "Game Day Special" is $5 off all headwear.
- Remember, arrive before 6:00 to get the 50% off concessions voucher.
Here is what you need to know if you are WATCHING the game elsewhere:
- ROOT Sports will have the regional coverage of the game starting at 6:30 with Penguins Pregame. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey will have the call starting at 7:00pm.
- NBCSN will carry the game nationally so if you don't have ROOT or the NHL package, you get tonights game. Not sure who the commentators will be.
- Pens Radio Net and 105.9 the X have the radio call starting at 6:00. Bob Grove will have pregame coverage starting then and Mike Lange and the Ol Two-Niner will call the game action starting at 7:00pm.
- The new edition of "IN THE ROOM" premieres tonight after Penguins Post Game on ROOT Sports. Be sure to set your DVR if you won't be home to catch it.
Pens Points are available tonight in the following ways:
- 50pts - Attending the Game
- 10pts - Concession Purchase
- 10pts - Merchandise Purchase
- 5pts - ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword
- 5pts - ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword
- 5pts - Pens Radio Net Keyword
- 25pts - Miller LIte Night at Red Ring Bar and Grille in Pittsburgh.
Thank you all for tuning in. It has been a pleasure as always to write this up for you all. I hope you enjoyed it. I want to once again extend my thanks to you all for your continued support. The number of followers grows every day and I know that is because you guys are retweeting and sharing me with your friends. Thank you so much! It means the world.
I will tweet my post game thoughts tonight. I will be in attendance at Consol tonight so I wont be going crazy with live game tweets. Check back afterwards to see my post game thoughts.
Thanks again everyone and stay warm! LETS GO PENS!!!
Cheers.