We are in for some late night pucks tonight, as our Pittsburgh Penguins travel to the desert to take on Oliver Ekman-Larsson and the Arizona Coyotes.
Welcome to the season's second edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. I am glad to have you aboard on this Saturday night for the second game of the Penguins' season.
Now, enough with the pleasantries, let's get down to business. Let's begin the Pregame show...
Tonight's "Big Dave Gameday Jam" comes from one of my favorites from the summer. I really got into the Raconteurs and this is the opening song off their 2010 album "Consolers of the Lonely." It also happens to be the title song, so enjoy Jack White and the Raconteurs as you enjoy my Pregame show.
The State of the Penguins
The top line of Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel were outstanding. They generated multiple chances and would have netted a few had it not been for the stellar play of Dallas netminder Antti Niemi. The chemistry amongst these three will only continue to grow, and it will be incredibly fun to watch.
Another positive point was the play of defenseman Kris Letang. Coming into the game after missing the last ten games and the playoffs due to a concussion, the leader of the defense played a team high 28:18, generated 13 shots and eight shots on net. His game was in mid-season form and if he continues at this level, there is no doubt he will be a Norris finalist.
While there were bright spots, there still remain many questions going into tonight's game with Arizona.
The Penguins still haven't figured out the whole discipline thing, taking five penalties in their loss to Dallas. While one of them should not have been a penalty, the other four were dumb penalties that should not have been taken. The Penguins need to be smart and avoid taking penalties, especially since the penalty kill is up in the air.
Speaking of the penalty kill, there is a lot of room for improvements but will they find it in time for tonight's game? The Pens gave up two power play goals and would have given up a third had it not been for an interference penalty by Dallas' Jamie Benn. The penalty kill is down two of its best with Eric Fehr and Pascal Dupuis on the shelf, but they simply need to play better than what we saw on Thursday night.
Finally, the questions surrounding the Penguins defensive corps are still present. Letang was great, Ian Cole played a solid game and Maatta played well in his first game in 10 months. But the rest of the squad remains a cause for concern. Ben Lovejoy didn't play horribly, but he certainly wasn't setting the world on fire. Brian Dumoulin started slow, but got better as the game went on. However, he hardly saw the ice in the third period, showing that the coaching staff isn't ready to trust the young defenseman.
Then there is Rob Scuderi. The bane to almost all of Penguins nation did not get off to a good start in the season opener. In fact, he couldn't have gotten off to a worse start. Scuderi was on the ice for all three goals against and he was directly responsible for two of the goals. He was slow and got beat on almost every shift. The Penguins have no options but to scratch the 36-year-old defenseman, because moving him or sending him to Wilkes-Barre won't happen. That being said, the coaching staff still believes Scuds brings something to this team, so I wouldn't expect to see him out of the lineup anytime soon.
In spite of it all, the Penguins go into Arizona tonight with a lot to build off of. If they play offensively like they did Thursday, generating over 60 shots on the night, then they should take down the Coyotes tonight.
Death in the Desert: The Arizona Coyotes
Yet, hockey remains, at least for the foreseeable future. The Coyotes are stocking up on young talent, but they still remain a few years from competing at a high level. The team struggled in the preseason, going winless in six games and only earning two points in overtime losses. They only scored four goals and were a minus-16 goal differential. It's only the preseason, but it appears it will be another long season in the dry, desert heat.
The Coyotes are led by the talented young defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is entering his age-24 season and coming off a 43-point campaign. He led the team in scoring last season. Captain Shane Doan remains on the roster, while former Coyotes Antoine Vermette and Zbynek Michalek returned to the desert after trade deadline moves to contenders. Former Penguin Steve Downie was signed in free agency and prospects Max Domi and Anthony Duclair are expected to get a chance to play a full season at the NHL level.
It will likely be another lottery season for the 'Yotes; a punching bag for the powers of the West to take advantage of to pad their place in the standings.
The Coyotes opened up the season last night in the City of Angels against the Kings. They trounced the Kings in their effort. The final score was 4-1 in favor of the Yotes, with rookie Max Domi scoring a goal and an assist while Tobias Reider chipped in the same.
Notable Offseason Additions: D Zbynek Michalek, C Antoine Vermette, RW Steve Downie, C Boyd Gordon, RW Brad Richardson, D Nicklas Grossman, G Anders Lindback
Arizona Scoring Leaders (from 2014-15 season):
- D Oliver Ekman-Larsson - 43pts
- C Sam Gagner - 41pts
- RW Shane Doan - 36pts
Injury Report:
- D Dylan Reese (achilles) is OUT for four-to-six months after suffering a severed achilles tendon.
Projected Lines:
- Max Domi - Antoine Vermette - Mikkel Boedker
- Tobias Rieder - Martin Hanzal - Anthony Duclair
- Kyle Chipchura - Brad Richardson - Shane Doan
- Jordan Martinook - Boyd Gordon - Steve Downie
Projected Pairs:
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson - Michael Stone
- Connor Murphy - Nicklas Grossman
- Klas Dahlbeck - Zbynek Michalek
Mike Smith is expected to start in net for the Coyotes tonight.
News & Notes From the Pens
- F Pascal Dupuis (OUT) 4-5 weeks with a lower-body injury
- F Eric Fehr (OUT) 4-5 weeks after offseason elbow surgery
The Yotes/Pens Matchup:
- The Penguins won both matchups last season against the Coyotes. They won 3-1 in Arizona on March 21st. A week later, the Pens took them down at home 3-2. That game at Consol was when Shane Doan knocked Kris Letang out for the season.
- F Sidney Crosby was lights out against the Yotes last season. Crosby figured in on five of the Pens six goals, scoring two and assisting on three others. Arizona's Tobias Reider led them in scoring with two goals.
- Multiple former Penguins are on the Coyotes roster this season including: F Steve Downie, F Joe Vitale and D Zbynek Michalek.
- The Penguins power play converted on three of ten power play opportunities while the penalty kill killed all five chances in last season's matchup with the Yotes.
Facts and Figures from the Team:
- Kris Letang led the way for the Penguins in Thursday's opener. He led the team in minutes (28:18), shot attempts (13) and shots on goal (8).
- Olli Maatta will play in his 100th career NHL game tonight.
- Kevin Porter will make his Penguins debut tonight. He will wear number 11 in white, and skate on the fourth line. He broke into the league with the Coyotes a few years back.
Projected Lines and Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Phil Kessel
- Sergei Plotnikov - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist
- David Perron - Nick Bonino - Beau Bennett
- Kevin Porter - Matt Cullen - Daniel Sprong
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Ian Cole
- Olli Maatta - Ben Lovejoy
- Brian Dumoulin - Rob Scuderi
Marc-Andre Fleury gets the start in goal.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Avoid Penalties: The Pens have not learned from last season and they took plenty of penalties against the Stars. While the Yotes power play is far from the level of the Stars, the Penguins need to avoid taking unnecessary penalties. If the Pens can avoid penalties, they not only keep the questionable penalty kill off the ice, but they also keep the likes of Rob Scuderi off the ice in favor of Olli Maatta and Ben Lovejoy.
3. Follow Up Chances: The Pens did a poor job of cashing in rebound opportunities on Thursday. Id like to see them do a better job in that regard tonight. The keys will of course be Kunitz and Hornqvist, but the whole team in general needs to collapse on the net when a shot is fired. If the Pens can do that, they should be able to score a rebounder tonight.
My 3 Pens to Watch
2. Sergei Plotnikov: His NHL debut is over. Now, it is time for the preseason Plotnikov to come back. Plotnikov was invisible on Thursday. He didn't generate any offense and he didn't play physical. He did both of those in the preseason and thats how he found himself on the second line with Malkin and Hornqvist. He needs to assert himself and make himself a force to be reckoned with. Otherwise, he will find himself on the fourth line before he can say Yinzer.
3. Olli Maatta: I thought Maatta was solid the other night, but Johnston didn't utilize him to his fullest effect. Maatta needs to be on the ice 20-24 minutes a night, and I expect to see more of him tonight in Arizona. He will likely skate with Ben Lovejoy again which is not a bad thing, but the Pens need to avoid penalties so Maatta can stay on the ice more.
What You Need to Know for Watching/Attending
For those watching the game tonight:
- The Pens game can be found locally on ROOT Sports. Puck drop is at 10:00pm. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey will have the call with Dan Potash handling the interview. "Thanks Daaaaaan."
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game, beginning at 9:30pm on ROOT.
- The "There's No Place Like Home with Sidney Crosby" will air again prior to the pregame coverage at 9:00pm on ROOT.
- Penguins Postgame will follow all the action.
For those listening to the game tonight:
- The game can be caught on 105.9 The X, the Penguins app, the Penguins website and on the iHeart Radio app.
- Mike Lange and Phil Bourque are slated to have the game coverage starting at 10:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the coverage with Josh Getzoff as host.
- Post game coverage will follow all the game coverage.
Pens Points available tonight:
- ROOT Sports Pregame keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Network keyword: 5pts
I would like to extend my gratitude for everyone joining me on this day and so far this season. For the first Pregame and postgame show, the blog received 700 hits and we gained roughly 20 new followers. I thank you for your support. It means the absolute world to me that you all care what I have to say about the Pens. It's very humbling and I do appreciate it greatly.
I will not have a View From Where I Sat tonight. I will be enjoying the game at a good friends house and with the late start and by the time I get home it'll be far too late. So I will likely just tweet my post game thoughts.
The Pregame will return for Tuesday's home opener against the Canadiens. I will see you all then.
That'll do it for me. Enjoy the game and LETS GO PENS!!!!