That is far too long for most of our likings. However, today, the ride begins again.
It is game one of eighty-two, Opening Night! It is finally here!
Good evening Penguins fans, and welcome to the first 2015-16 edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. It is a pleasure to be back with you all ahead of the Opening Night matchup between our Pittsburgh Penguins and the Dallas Stars.
To those of you familiar with my work, thank you for coming back and welcome to another fun season of Penguins hockey and my Pregame show. I am honored that you have joined me once again. Cheers to you.
To all those reading my Pregame show for the first time, welcome and thanks for stopping by. I started the pregame show several years ago and am now in my fourth year. I love doing this and I hope you will come back for more.
For the newbies (and the old guard who have forgotten my style), it's very simple how the show works. First, I'll give you my gameday jam. Something I'm currently rocking to so you have something else to enjoy while reading the Pregame. Then I move on to the State of the Penguins, where I give a recap of all that is new around our favorite franchise. Next, I take an in-depth look at the nights opponent, including a recap of their recent dealings, lines, pairs, injuries, etc. Then I move on to the Pens news and notes. This section includes injury reports and other news from the team. Next, I give you the projected lines and pairs for the Pens. After that, I give you my keys to the game for the Pens and my three Pens players to watch that night. Finally, I give you the arena, TV and radio information for the game. Pretty simple, but leaving you with little question going into the evening's game.
WIthout further adieu, let's get going....
Tonight's "Big Dave Gameday Jam" comes from an up-and-coming band that I've gotten into recently. They are The Struts and this is there awesome number, "Where Did She Go?" Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
We will see the Penguins debuts of Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen. We will also see the NHL debuts of rookies Daniel Sprong and Sergei Plotnikov. We will see the beginning of another year of the primes of Crosby, Malkin and Letang. Can you stand the excitement?
Even with all the excitement, questions remain. The Penguins went 3-5-0 in the preseason. While the majority of those games were with minor league rosters, the Pens still underperformed in many and gave up an alarming amount of goals in the final four game.
Defense was a major question going into camp, and will remain one going into the opener. Derrick Pouliot was sent to Wilkes-Barre to get his head straight, and veteran Sergei Gonchar was released from his PTO. The Pens will enter the year with a bonafide pair of Kris Letang and Olli Maatta, but the last four spots are in question. Can Ian Cole play a top-four role? Should Rob Scuderi even be in the lineup? Is Brian Dumoulin ready for full time action? All valid questions and no one really has the answers yet. We may just get a hint at one tonight.
What this team does have is a scoring depth and a lethal top six. The Pens haven't boasted this kind of scoring depth since the 2008-09 season, nor a lethal top six since the 2008 Cup run team. With the likes of Kessel, Crosby, Malkin, Hornqvist, Kunitz and Plotnikov in the top six, this team could be incredibly fun to watch.
On the backend, the Penguins will have the smiling, calming Marc-Andre Fleury to fall back on. Coming off a career year, the Quebec native is primed for another solid season, baring he isn't left out to dry by a shaky defense or a comatose offense.
With all this being said, there is a lot to be excited about. Its Thursday, October 8th and Phil Kessel is a Pittsburgh Penguin. We still have two of the best players in the world in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Olli Maatta and Kris Letang are at full health. And Marc-Andre Fleury is, as always, smiling like a butcher's dog. It's a great day for hockey and our Penguins are finally back after 167 days without a meaningful game.
Just in case you missed it, this is the 23-man roster the Penguins will enter tonight's game with:
Fowards:
| Defensemen:
Goalies:
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Big Times in Big D: The Dallas Stars
The Stars underachieved as a team. They went 41-31-10 on the season, five points short of qualifying for the playoffs. They dealt with injuries, struggles in net and a major slump by the second line for the first third of the season. The slow start was hard to recover from and the Stars saw the playoffs from the golf course bars and their own couches.
Though disappointing, the season was not a total loss. Captain Jamie Benn shocked the hockey world by posting a hat trick and a 4-point night in the season finale to claim the Art Ross Trophy. His linemate, Tyler Seguin, had another solid season posting 77 points in 71 games. Rookie defenseman John Klingberg emerged as a future Norris contender with 40 points in only 65 games played and veteran center Jason Spezza shook off a slow start to post 62 points on the season. All four of those players return this season, along with the high expectations.
In fact, the expectations for Dallas may be even higher this season. They were busy in the offseason, acquiring several prominent, Stanley Cup champions to their roster. Their biggest move was acquiring three-time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Sharp from the Chicago Blackhawks. The 33-year-old winger is coming off his third championship, but a down regular season of just 43 points. Regardless, he adds more firepower to the Stars top-six. Another major addition was the signing of free agent and former Sharp teammate Johnny Oduya to add to the defensive corps. The Stars defense struggled last year and GM Jim Nill hopes the signing of Oduya will help solidify the young defense. Finally, Nill added to his goaltending. He already boasted veteran Kari Lehtonen, who struggled in 2014-15 despite winning 34 games. Nill decided to add former Sharks goaltender and Cup champion Antti Niemi to the mix. He was given a 3-year deal to fight for the number one goaltender spot with Lehtonen. The tandem, offer one of the best one-two punches in net in the NHL when both are "on."
The preseason was not good to the Stars. They went 1-6-0 in the seven games they played, including losing four straight. Though it's not indicative of things to come, there is some things to be concerned about. Highest among them, the minus-14 goal differential in the preseason. The Stars need better play from their defense and their netminders if they plan on having a successful season this year.
In my preseason outlook, I had the Stars being a playoff team, even a possible Western Conference Champion. Despite the shaky preseason play, I still believe that. The Stars are a dangerous team, and one to watch as the season unfolds.
Dallas Scoring Leaders (from 2014-15)
- LW Jamie Benn - 87pts
- C Tyler Seguin - 77pts
- C Jason Spezza - 62pts
- C Cody Eakin - 40pts
- D John Klingberg - 40pts
Injury Report:
- RW Brett Ritchie (wrist) is OUT for the next two-three months after surgery in September.
Projected Lines:
- Jamie Benn - Cody Eakin - Tyler Seguin
- Valeri Nichushkin - Jason Spezza - Patrick Sharp
- Travis Moen - Vernon Fiddler - Patrick Eaves
- Antoine Roussel - Mattias Janmark - Ales Hemsky
Projected Pairs:
- Alex Goligoski - John Klingberg
- Johnny Oduya - Jason Demers
- Jyrki Jokipakka - Jordie Benn
Antti Niemi was the first goalie off in morning skate and is expected to start in goal.
Stars Players to Watch:
- Jamie Benn: Last season's Art Ross trophy winner is one of the most underrated players in the NHL. He plays a solid game and is a lethal scoring threat. However, he is coming off off-season surgery, so he may not be quite full speed yet. Regardless, he is fun to watch.
- John Klingberg: Remember this name because he could easily be a Norris candidate in the next two-four years. He's a solid offensive defenseman who has been compared to multiple-Norris winner Nicholas Lindstrom. He will be on the top pair with former Penguin Alex Goligoski tonight.
- Patrick Sharp: There are many that called for the Pens to acquire him in the offseason, but I'm glad it was Kessel over the mid-30s Sharp. Sharp is still a good NHL sniper, but I am concerned that last years stats could be the beginning of his decline. That being said, he should fit in well with the likes of Spezza, Benn and Seguin and could rebound for a huge age-34 season.
News & Notes From the Penguins
- F Pascal Dupuis will NOT play tonight in Dallas. He is expected to miss 4-5 weeks with an undisclosed lower-body injury.
- F Bobby Farnham WILL play tonight against Dallas. He missed time in the preseason with a lower-body injury.
- F Eric Fehr is skating, but is still about a month away from game action. He is currently on LTIR after off-season elbow surgery.
Transaction Report:
- The Penguins have recalled forward Kevin Porter from Wilkes-Barre. He will wear number 11 for the Pens.
- F Oskar Sundqvist, recalled for salary cap reasons on Tuesday, has been re-assigned to the Baby Pens.
- D Olli Maatta, part of the salary cap paper transactions, was also recalled this morning.
Miscellaneous Bits from the Morning:
- The top line of Crosby, Kessel and Kunitz did not skate this morning. They will play tonight.
- The Penguins may use Crosby and Malkin on separate power plays tonight. They have practiced that way this week. Look for Crosby, Kessel, Kunitz, Perron and Letang on the top unit, with Malkin, Hornqvist, Bennett, Sprong and Maatta on the second.
The Pens/Stars Matchup:
- The Pens were 18-6-4 last season against the Western Conference, but lost both games against the Stars in 2014-15. They lost 3-2 on a last second goal in October in Pittsburgh and 2-1 in Dallas in March.
- The Pens leading scorers against the Stars last season were Kris Letang, Chris Kunitz and Sidney Crosby. Each had a goal and assist.
- The Penguins held the Stars power play to just one goal in the two matchups last season.
Pens Notes:
- The leading trio in the preseason was not the Pens first line, but its second. The trio of Plotnikov, Malkin and Hornqvist produced 11 points (2G-9A) in the preseason.
- Daniel Sprong will make his NHL debut tonight against Dallas. He is the third youngest Penguin to make his NHL debut at 18 years, 6 months and 21 days. Jordan Staal (the youngest) and Sidney Crosby are the only younger players.
- The Penguins have won their last four season openers and 7 of their last 8 season openers on the road.
- F David Perron will play in his 500th NHL game tonight.
Projected Lines and Pairs
Lines:
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Phil Kessel
- Sergei Plotnikov - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist
- David Perron - Nick Bonino - Beau Bennett
- Bobby Farnham - Matt Cullen - Daniel Sprong
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Ian Cole
- Ben Lovejoy - Olli Maatta
- Brian Dumoulin - Rob Scuderi
Marc-Andre Fleury starts in net.
My 3 Keys to A Penguins Victory
2. Build Up Chemistry: It is always nice to get off to a good start on the season, but you cannot win the Cup in October. What I'd like to see from the Pens tonight is building up of line/pair chemistry in intense game situations. While the preseason is supposed to accomplish that, it really doesn't. Until the 23-man roster is set and you're in for the long-haul together, the real chemistry isn't created. Tonight is the start of that. While I am not so concerned about it in the top six, which played exclusively together in the preseason and practice, I'm looking more at the defense and the bottom six in this respect.
3. Special Teams: The power play and the penalty kill are always important, but you want to see the Pens come up big in both of these areas tonight. Firstly, Dallas has a very good power play. With the Pens building a new penalty kill squad, that first kill will be vital for morale's sake. Same goes with the Pens power play. They have an added weapon with Kessel there now and the big guys know they need to be better in this area. Like that first kill, the first PP will be big for morale if they can score, but even if they just generate multiple chances.
My 3 Pens To Watch
2. Phil Kessel: The American Sniper, "Phil the Thrill," makes his Penguins regular season debut tonight. The key for Phil will be just to play his game and not try to force things. He has the talent, and more importantly, has the talent surrounding him to succeed. Let the game come to you big fella and success will surely follow. He will skate on the top line alongside Crosby tonight and you will see him work the left side of the Pens top power play unit.
3. David Perron: Has a lot to prove beginning tonight. Despite having a great camp and a solid preseason, rumors are swirling around the 27-year-old winger. While there are rumors that the Pens are trying to move him, the most important thing Perron can do is show the coaching staff and organization that he is worth holding on to for added depth in the forward corps. Is he better than a bottom six player and a fourth liner? Yes, but even if that's the role he is handed he needs to play at a top-six level to make his team more dangerous. Watch him tonight, I think he will be fun to watch.
What You Need To Know for Watching/Attending
For those watching the game, here is what you need to know:
- Puck drop is at 830pm on ROOT Sports. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey have the call.
- Penguins Pregame will proceed the game action on ROOT, starting at 730pm
- There is a special, "There's No Place Like Home with Sidney Crosby," at 7pm on ROOT.
- Penguins Post Game will follow the game action.
For those listening to the game, here is what you need to know:
- The Penguins game can be found on 105.9 the X as well as on the Penguins app, the Penguins website (Pens Radio 24/7) and on the iHeart Radio app.
- PIttsburgh Penguins Pregame will proceed the game coverage starting at 730pm.
- Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will have the game call starting at 830pm.
- Penguins Hotline will follow the game action.
Pens Points for tonights game:
- ROOT Sports Pregame keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts
Thank you all for tuning into the Pregame. I hope you all enjoyed it enough to check back for future editions. Also, thank you for sharing the page and interacting with me. It means the world that you guys are into this and it makes it even more fun for me to do. Please continue to share the blog, the Twitter and the Facebook page with all your friends and followers who love the Pens.
I will be live tweeting the game over on Twitter. Be sure to follow me @BigDPensPregame for all my in-game thoughts and to keep up with the game action.
Be sure to check back post game both on Facebook and Twitter for my "View From Where I Sat," with all my post-game thoughts, my 3 stars and my player grades for every Penguins player from the season opener.
Enjoy the game everyone and LETS GO PENS!!!!