GOOOOOOOOOD EVENING HOCKEY FANS AND WELCOME BACK!!!!!
Hello Penguins nation! Welcome to the first Big Dave's Pens Pregame of the 2016-17 NHL season. It is absolutely great to be back for another year of Penguins hockey with you. So much good happen over the summer, but I am super stoked to be back with you for another season.
Tonight, our Penguins raise the banner for their fourth Stanley Cup championship at the newly christened PPG Paints Arena. Their opponents on this night, their rivals from Capitol Hill in the Washington Capitals. Puck drops on the action tonight at 8:00pm, but my latest Pregame is available now...
For my opening night "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" I am going with a classic from one of my favorite albums during my teenage years. Motion City Soundtrack recently called it a career, but their 2005 album "Commit This To Memory" was one of the best albums of my teenage years. This song, entitled "Resolution" requests you give it up for the new year, and how could you not with Penguin hockey returning tonight? Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
The Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup Champions for the fourth time in their franchise history. If it hasn't sunk in yet, it certainly will when you see that banner raised over the ice of PPG Paints Arena tonight. The Penguins look to start their defense off on the right foot, and look to become the first team since the 1997-98 Detroit Red Wings to win back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships. They have a good chance.
95% of the Stanley Cup winning roster returns. Ben Lovejoy got a huge contract from New Jersey, while Jeff Zatkoff and Beau Bennet also are finding new homes around the NHL. Other than that, the Penguins are the same team that raised Lord Stanley at the Shark Tank on June 12th, besides a couple injuries.
One injury in particular has sent shockwaves across the team, and the league: Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins announced on Monday that their captain, who tore up the competition in Gary Bettman's Fake Olympics, will miss the opening of the new season after being diagnosed with a concussion. Crosby skated Tuesday and participated in the Penguins Fan Fest on Sunday. He will likely miss tonight's game, but it doesn't seem as if this concussion diagnosis is anywhere near as serious as those that plagued him in 2011-12.
The Stanley Cup winning netminder will also start the season out of the Penguins lineup. Matt Murray broke his hand during the World Cup of Hockey. He has returned to the ice in recent days, but he is still a week or two away from returning. That opens the door for Marc-Andre Fleury to reclaim his spot as the team's number one goalie. He is expected to start tonight while recently acquired Mike Condon backs up.
Finally, the Penguins will be without Game 7 hero Bryan Rust. Rust broke a finger in the Cup Finals last June, and is still suffering from effects of that according to the team. He has skated this week with Crosby and Murray, but he is expected to miss opening night as well.
So who is left for the Penguins? Well... Everyone else.
The HBK Line will remain intact tonight, and in all essence be the Penguins top line. Evgeni Malkin will center Chris Kunitz and the now healthy Scott Wilson, who missed the playoff run last year with a broken ankle and who has torn up preseason play thus far. Veteran Matt Cullen returns and centers Patric Hornqvist and Conor Sheary, while Oskar Sundqvist gets the nod on the fourth line with Kuhnhackl and Fehr.
As for the blue line, Ben Lovejoy is gone, but Trevor Daley is back after breaking his ankle in the Eastern Conference Finals. He likely will skate alongside Olli Maatta, while Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin remain the Penguins top pair. Expect Justin Schultz and Ian Cole, the team's "shut down" pair in the Cup Finals, to remain the bottom pair.
The Penguins are poised to have another excellent year. If health stays on their side, they have a solid chance to become the first back-to-back champs in nearly two decades. Health is the key, and rest will be a close second. The Pens played a lot of hockey last year and some have played a lot already this year with the World Cup. Rest will be paramount.
But tonight is about new beginnings. The Pens raise the banner. They also open up their title defense. And what better way to start that defense than by hosting one of the teams you beat to win that title, the Washington Capitals.
Once A Brides Maid... The Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals had the best regular season performance. They took home the President's Trophy. Their netminder, Braden Holtby, tied the NHL record for wins in a season (48) enroute to the Vezina while captain Alex Ovechkin won yet another Rocket Richard Award. Yet, the season was a disappointment...
The Capitals couldn't get over the hump that has plagued them in the Ovechkin Era; they couldn't get passed the second round of the playoffs. The Penguins again disembarked the Caps from the playoffs in 2016, again enroute to a Stanley Cup. It left Washington wondering what the hell they need to do to finally win in the post season.
Washington enters this season with even more to prove. They are a great team, there is no denying that. But until this team can win in the playoffs, aka getting passed the second round, they are nothing. That will be the goal this year, behind the overall goal of course to win the Stanley Cup. The Capitals will be a favorite again to win it all, but they need to get to the Conference Finals first.
Much of last year's Washington team returns. The top six of Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, TJ Oshie, Andre Burakovsky and Justin Williams return. The entire defensive corps returns as does both Holtby and Philipp Grubauer in net.
Washington added a few pieces to their bottom six. Lars Eller came over from Montreal in a deal, while Brett Connolly signed after spending last season with the Bruins. Longtime Capital Jason Chimera signed elsewhere, and veterans Michael Latta and Mike Richards were allowed to walk.
Other than that, this team remains the same team that won the President's Trophy in 2015-16. The question now is, can they finally get over that hump? That question won't be answered tonight, this month or even this calendar year. In fact, spring will be in full bloom before that question is answered....
The Lowdown on the Capitals:
- Washington was the President's Trophy winners in 2015-16 season, finishing first in the league and winning the Metropolitan Division.
- Washington was 56-18-8 on the year with 120 points.
- The Capitals were 4-1-2 in the preseason.
- Washington was 27-10-4 on the road in 2015-16.
Offseason Additions:
- C Lars Eller (Trade, with Montreal)
- RW Brett Connolly (Signed, Free Agent from Boston)
- LW Brad Malone (Signed, Free Agent from Carolina)
Offseason Subtractions:
- C Jason Chimera (Signed, Free Agent with NY Islanders)
- C Mike Richards (Unsigned)
- C Michael Latta (Signed, Free Agent with Los Angeles)
2015-16 Scoring Leaders:
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov - 77pts
- LW Alex Ovechkin - 71pts
- C Nicklas Backstrom - 70pts
- RW Justin Williams - 52pts
- RW TJ Oshie - 51pts
Injury Report
- No injuries to report
Projected Lines:
- Alex Ovechkin - Evgeny Kuznetsov - TJ Oshie
- Andre Burakovsky - Nicklas Backstrom - Marcus Johansson
- Daniel Winnik - Lars Eller - Justin Williams
- Tom Wilson - Jay Beagle - Brett Connolly
Projected Pairs:
- Karl Alzer - Matt Niskanen
- Dmitry Orlov - John Carlson
- Brooks Oprik - Nate Schmidt
Braden Holtby will start in net tonight for the Capitals.
News & Notes From the Penguins
- C Sidney Crosby (concussion) will NOT play tonight. There has been no timetable listed for the Captain's return, but he has skated the last few days.
- RW Bryan Rust (undisclosed) will NOT play tonight. Rust is reportedly still suffering effects from a broken finger. However, he has skated the last few days.
- G Matt Murray (broken hand) will NOT play tonight. Murray is still a week or two away according to the original 4-6 week diagnosis, but he has been working on the ice with the other injured skaters this week.
Transaction Report:
- Penguins claimed G Mike Condon off waivers Tuesday from the Montreal Canadiens. Condon will serve as backup to Marc-Andre Fleury until Matt Murray is ready to return.
- The Penguins assigned F Kevin Porter, D David Warsofsky and G Tristan Jarry to WBS on Tuesday, finalizing their 23-man roster. The complete Penguins opening night roster is below.
Penguins Opening Night Roster:
- FORWARDS (14): Nick Bonino, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Eric Fehr, Matt Cullen, Chris Kunitz, Carl Hagelin, Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson, Tom Sestito, Tom Kuhnhackl
- DEFENSEMEN (7): Kris Letang, Brian Dumoulin, Trevor Daley, Olli Maatta, Ian Cole, Justin Schultz, Derrick Pouliot
- GOALIES (2): Marc-Andre Fleury, Mike Condon
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Carl Hagelin - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel
- Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Scott Wilson
- Conor Sheary - Matt Cullen - Patric Hornqvist
- Tom Sestito - Eric Fehr - Tom Kuhnhackl
Pairs:
- Brian Dumoulin - Kris Letang
- Olli Maatta - Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Justin Schultz
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net for Pittsburgh.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Roll Four Lines: I would love to see the Penguins roll all four lines tonight and not simply rely on just one or two. It is game one of 82, and everyone should be fresh. But lets face it, its the first meaningful game in three months and adrenaline only lasts so long. I'd like to see the Penguins roll four lines and not overtax the big guns the first night.
3. Young Guns: The Penguins young guns were huge in the playoffs last year. However, now it is time to see whether they were one-hit wonders in the playoffs or the real deal. Sheary, Kuhnhackl and Wilson will play tonight, and Wilson should see a ton of minutes alongside Malkin. I want to see them get off to a good start and make an impact like they did in the big playoff games.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Scott Wilson: Who knows the impact he would have had in the playoffs last year. He scored 5 goals in 7 games before breaking his ankle against Columbus in early March. Now, Wilson is healthy and is playing great hockey. He had 2 goals and 5 points in five preseason games, including a 3-point performance in the preseason finale. Wilson has the best touch of the WBS kids, and he has earned the spot alongside Geno. I will be very interested to see how he fairs tonight.
3. Marc-Andre Fleury: Just as the starting job was plucked from him, Fleury finds himself back in that role thanks to injury. Fleury is still an elite goalie, and played well in the preseason despite being left out to dry by some of his teammates. I expect good things from the Flower, and I'm hoping to see him pitch a solid effort in a win tonight.
What You Need to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- Doors open at 6:30pm for an 8:00pm puck drop.
- Starting at 7:45, the Penguins will begin their banner raising ceremony.
- The 2016 Cup banner will be raised and take its place alongside new, larger versions of banners commemorating the Penguins' first three championships in 1991, 1992 and 2009 (those three new banners are already in place).
- The ceremony will include a video tribute to the Penguins' championship season and individual player introductions.
- Stop by PensGear powered by Reebok inside the Trib Total Media Gate at PPG Paints Arena during Thursday's game to take home your piece of the Championship from the Official 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Fan Program. Don't wait, this collection is available for a limited time only!
What to know for WATCHING the game:
- The game will be nationally televised on NBCSN.
- No ROOT coverage for the Opener
What to know for LISTENING to the game:
- Full coverage will be available on 105.9 the X, iHeartRadio and on the Penguins app.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage, starting at 7:00pm with Josh Getzoff.
- Hall of Famer Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will have the game coverage starting at 8:00pm.
- Penguins Hot Line follows the game action with Josh Getzoff.
Pens Points:
- Game Attendance - 50pts
- Concession Purchase - 10pts
- Merchandise Purchase - 10pts
- Radio Keyword - 5pts