Welcome to the first Big Dave's Pens Pregame in quite some time!
It has been a long time but I have finally been able to get a new Pregame up for you.
I would like to start the show with an apology for my absence of late. For those of you who don't know, I am currently working on my Masters Degree and I have moved home to finish that up. A lot of my time in recent weeks, besides the holiday events, has been built around reading and planning my final paper for my classes. Because of that, I have been locking myself away without internet and without the Pens. The latter not by choice as my area doesnt get the Pens games on cable and is blacked out with Gamecenter. That has been why I have been quiet of late. I haven't been able to watch the games unless televised nationally and I haven't had the internet to write on them because of where I have been. I thank you for your patience as I get my work done for school and for your continued interactions and tweets to me. I love talking to you all.
So with that, let me provide you with the first Pregame in quite a while. Ladies and gentlemen, let's dive into Big Daves Pens Pregame.
Tonight's game day song has been one of my favorites the last few weeks. I used to hear it on the X all the time and now it plays on repeat on my iPod. From the indie rock band, Cage the Elephant, "Come A Little Closer."
The State of the Penguins
The Pens have suffered a series of debilitating injuries the last few weeks. They lost Patric Hornqvist to a knee injury, Blake Comeau to a lower-body injury and sounds as if Olli Maatta will miss the rest of the season with that bum shoulder. But the Pens have gotten clean bill of health with the New Year. Chris Kunitz has returned, as have defensemen Paul Martin and Christian Ehrhoff. Zach Sill returned to the lineup and the long awaited arrival of David Perron finally happened on January 2nd.
Over that time, we have seen both the Dr. Jekyl Penguins and the Mr. Hyde. We have seen solid, sixty-minute performances and games where they didn't even bother to come to the building. We have seen big names make key plays, and little known rookies make a name for themselves. In the end, the successes and struggles are all in the name of progress.
Head Coach Mike Johnston would tell you the same. He stated he likes the building blocks the team has put together over the first half of the season. Now, however, it is time to lay the cement. The Pens need to become more consistent as their health has allowed them to form most of the team we expected. It is key for the big guys like Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Fleury to keep having the stellar seasons they are. It is also important for the likes of Sutter, Bennett, Rust and Spaling to continue to get stronger.
The Pens closed the first half with a huge win in OT v. Montreal on Saturday. Sidney Crosby got the game-winner that will hopefully rekindle his scoring touch while Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang and the Flower were all brilliant in the 2-1 win.
The second half of the season begins tonight, and it would be nice to see a win against the Minnesota Wild.
Into the Wild
The team that has been known not to score much, but that hasn't been the case this year. They appear to be getting more scoring than in the past, but primarily are only getting it from their top two lines. Essentially, if a team shuts down Pominville, Vanek and Parise, you will beat the Wild.
Defense has always been a strong suit for the Wild, but this year has seen a dip in that area. Ryan Suter has had a down year and the rest of the defense has not lived up to billing. Far more debilitating however has been the play of their goaltenders. Darcy Kuemper has led the way with 13-12-1 record, but has not been playing well after a hot start. Niklas Backstrom has been just as mediocre and former Penguin farm-hand John Curry has gotten one start with the struggles. The Wild are reportedly in the market for a goalie, a move they feel would kickstart their fortunes and get them back in playoff contention.
Here is what you need to know about the Wild:
- They are currently sitting in last place in the Central Division with an 18-18-5 record.
- The last ten games have been a horror for them as they have gone 2-6-2.
- The Wild are not a great road team, entering tonight with an 8-12- 0 record on the road.
Scoring Leaders:
- RW Jason Pominville - 32pts (9G-23A)
- LW Zach Parise - 30pts (14G-16A)
- LW Thomas Vanek - 25pts (7G-18A)
- D Ryan Suter - 22pts (1G-21A)
- C Mikko Koivu - 21pts (6G-15A)
Injury Report:
- D Marco Scandella is a game-time decision with a head injury. He missed the Wild's game on Sunday in Chicago.
- C Mikael Grandlund (wrist) has skated but will not play tonight. He is shooting for an end of January return.
- G Darcy Kuemper is out tonight. He has missed the last week with a lower-body injury.
- D Keith Ballard is out tonight as well. He is still experiencing recurring concussion like-symptoms and is considering calling it a career.
- G Josh Harding has missed over a month with a setback in his fight against MS.
Projected Lines for the Wild:
- Zach Parise - Mikko Koivu - Jason Pominville
- Thomas Vanek - Erik Haula - Justin Fontaine
- Jason Zucker - Charlie Coyle - Nino Niederreiter
- Matt Cooke - Kyle Brodziak - Ryan Carter
Projected D-Pairs:
- Ryan Suter - Jared Spurgeon
- Jonas Brodin - Christian Folin
- Jonathon Blum - Nate Prosser
Niklas Backstrom will likely start for the Wild in net.
News & Notes From the Pens
There have been no updates on injured wingers Patric Hornqvist or Blake Comeau besides a brief comment by Coach Johnston yesterday. Coach stated that "they aren't on our radar yet," meaning their return is likely a few weeks off yet. It is a blow for this team that is already short wingers with the illness of Pascal Dupuis. The Pens would love to get them back for the stretch run, and should without a doubt have both back for the playoffs.
Two Penguins were named to the NHL All-Star rosters over the weekend. Captain Sidney Crosby and current Hart Trophy favorite Evgeni Malkin will represent the Pens in Columbus. Many believe that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and defenseman Kris Letang deserved the call as well, but they were left off the team. Regardless, congrats to Sid and Geno for representing us there and good for Tanger and Flower to get a weekend of rest.
Speaking of the Flower, he will get the start for the Penguins tonight. He has never recorded a win against Minnesota and hopes to turn that around tonight.
Defenseman Derrick Pouliot was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre yesterday. The Pens top prospect performed well in his NHL stint and will likely be the first recalled if another injury were to occur to the blue line.
Taylor Chorney was recalled from Wilkes-Barre this morning to serve as the teams seventh defenseman and #PressBoxHero.
Projected Lines and Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - David Perron
- Nick Spaling - Evgeni Malkin - Beau Bennett
- Bryan Rust - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
- Zach Sill - Marcel Goc - Craig Adams
- Kris Letang - Christian Ehrhoff
- Paul Martin - Robert Bortuzzo
- Rob Scuderi - Simon Despres
My Keys to the Game
2. Scuderi-Despres Pairing: I think this has been the Pens best pair all year and by far their most consistent. They are feeding off each other well and have done a good job shutting teams down. They are becoming more and more important to the Pens success as the games fly by.
3. Power Play: I feel like everyone has been beating this dead horse but the Pens are too good to play this bad on the man advantage. They need to take advantage of the opportunities and they need more shots on net, period.
My Players to Watch
2. Beau Bennett: Has played very well this season when healthy. I think if he can stay on the ice for more than 5-10 games at a time then he may be a huge piece for the Pens moving forward. I look to him to build more chemistry with Malkin going forward which would allow the Pens to look to other needs at the deadline than another top six winger.
3. David Perron: Haven't done a show in a while, so haven't been able to make Perron a key player yet. So here it is, David Perron is one of my players to watch tonight. His speedy, scrappy play is big for the Pens and perfect for Crosby. I think the two will develop phenomenal chemistry going forward and rack up a ton of points. Maybe starting tonight.
What You Need to Know For Watching/Attending
- Puck drop is at 7:00pm and doors open at 5:30pm.
- The Pens will wear their third jerseys tonight, so the Pittsburgh gold will out in full force at Consol tonight.
- It is Evgeni Malkin bobblehead night! Every fan in attendance will receive an Evgeni Malkin bobblehead courtesy of Trib Total Media. (Note: the bobble head has a big resemblance to President Obama from the pictures I've seen which is kinda weird...)
- Pens Gear is running a 10% off all ladies gear tonight.
Here is what you need to know if you are WATCHING tonight's game:
- Tonight's game is nationally televised on NBCSN, so I will get to watch (yes, I will live tweet).
- ROOT Sports does have the regional coverage so all you Yinzers will have Steigy and Bob Errey (which I am very jealous about since it won't likely be Doc Emrick on the NBC coverage).
That will do it for me folks. Thank you for your understanding in my absence. I will try to get on here and do more of these but it will be tough with my school. I will try to tweet as much and get as many games as possible.
Thanks for your support and enjoy the game! LETS GO PENS!!!
Cheers!