Good evening Penguins fans and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Glad to have you here for another night of Penguins hockey fun. Tonight, the Penguins complete there roadtrip in Calgary where they will play the Flames.
Puck drop is 10:00pm, but the Pregame begins right now....
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" comes from one of my favorite bands from my college years. When I first got into these guys, they were so metal you couldn't understand what the singer was saying. Now, they have evolved into a kick-ass arena rock band. They are England's Bring Me the Horizon and this song comes off their new album "That's the Spirit." The song is called "Throne" and I think you will like it. Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
Pittsburgh went into Edmonton last night and took their sixth straight win in somewhat convincing fashion.
Frankly, it was a great win considering the pregame news...
Pascal Dupuis, who has suffered from blood clots in the past, was taken to the hospital as a precaution when he was experiencing similar symptoms. Luckily, the tests were negative, but the Penguins will likely be without their heart for a few days.
The Penguins responded well. They went out and got the first goal of the game on the PP early, but had it taken away by a coaches challenge. That didn't set them back either.
Rookie Daniel Sprong, who had missed the last few games to healthy scratches, netted his second career goal in the second period to give the Pens the lead. Matt Cullen continued his outstanding play and set up the rookie's goal.
Phil Kessel would net the game winner in the third via the power play. The Penguins took the game for their sixth straight win and nine out of ten.
There is not questioning that the Penguins are playing much better. While some of their games have seen times of laziness, for the most part they have put together complete games. I thought they played incredibly well last night considering the circumstances. I expect more of the same tonight when they enter Calgary to face our old friend Deryk Engelland and the Flames.
Flamed out?: The Calgary Flames
After being a Cinderella story in the 2014-15 season, the Flames have gotten off to a completely rotten start in the new campaign. It is quite the surprise as well, for when you look at this team on paper, they look very solid.
The Flames were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2nd round of the playoffs last season, but GM Brad Treliving went into the offseason with a mission of making this young team even better. He made a huge splash at the NHL Draft when he pulled off the blockbuster move to acquire 23-year-old defenseman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins. Hamilton immediately signed a six-year extension upon arriving. On July 1st, the Flames signed veteran winger Michael Frolik to solidify the top six. The other significant addition to the team came from within, as 2014 4th overall selection Sam Bennett is expected to remain with the team full time after a stint in the playoffs last season.
The additions the Flames made to an already good, young team were expected to have them contend for the Stanley Cup this season, but the the start has stunted them thus far.
The Flames currently have the fourth worst record in the NHL. In 14 games, they have gone 4-9-1 and have a minus-25 goal differential. The defense and the goaltending is what has hampered the Flames thus far. Every goaltender on the roster has a goals against average over 3.50. Starter Jonas Hiller has the lowest at 3.67 and currently has the best record at 2-3-0.
There is of course some light among the dark in Calgary. Second year winger Johnny Gaudreau is off to a great start, posting 14 points and averaging a point per game. His center, Jiri Hudler, has posted 11 points after a great 2014-15 season. Finally, off-season sigining Michael Frolik has gotten off to a fast start with three goals and ten points in 14 games.
The Flames are a better team than the numbers show. They have a great, young core up front and on the blue line. I still believe, despite the numbers, this is one of the best defensive corps in the NHL. Johnny Gaudreau, along with the youngsters Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett have the makings of a dynamic top line in the future. If they can sort out their goaltending woes, they can still become a playoff team this year.
What You Need to Know About the Flames:
- 4-9-1 overall.
- Sixth in the Pacific Division and currently have the fourth worst record in the NHL.
- The Flames goaltending has been horrible, leading to a minus-25 goal differential.
- Calgary has gone 3-6-1 over their last 10 games and 2-5-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome this season.
Scoring Leaders:
- LW Johnny Gaudreau - 14pts (2G-12A)
- C Jiri Hudler - 11pts (4G-7A)
- RW Michael Frolik - 10pts (3G-7A)
- C Sean Monahan - 8pts (2G-6A)
- C Sam Bennett - 7pts (2G-5A)
Injury Report:
- G Jonas Hiller (lower-body) is OUT tonight. He has missed the last week due to a lower-body injury.
- LW Lance Bouma (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Bouma suffered a broken fibula and is expected to miss the next two to three months.
- LW Michael Ferland (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Ferland was declared week-to-week after suffering a knee injury and was placed on IR.
Projected Line Combinations:
- Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Sam Bennett
- Jiri Hudler - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik
- Joe Colborne - Matt Stajan - David Jones
- Brandon Bollig - Derek Grant - Josh Jooris
Projected D-Pairs:
- Mark Giordano - TJ Brodie
- Kris Russell - Dougie Hamilton
- Deryk Engelland - Dennis Wideman
Karri Ramo is expected to start in net.
News & Notes from the Penguins
- F Pascal Dupuis will be OUT tonight. It was announced Pregame last night that Dupuis was taken to a local hospital for tests that were most likely related to his blood clot issues. The tests were negative, but Duper will miss tonight as well as a precaution.
Penguins/Flames Matchup Notes:
- The Penguins swept the season series last year, winning 3-1 in Pittsburgh in December and shutting out Calgary in February in Calgary.
- Pittsburgh outscored Calgary seven to one in the series.
- The Pens have won 9 straight against the Flames including 5 in a row in Calgary.
- Johnny Gaudreau scored the lone Calgary goal last season.
- Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz led all Penguins in scoring v. Calgary in '14-15 with three points. Crosby had two goals and an assist while Kunitz had three helpers. Kris Letang also had a goal and an assist in the season series.
- Matt Cullen has a 4-game point streak v. Calgary with 1 goal and 8 points in that span.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Eric Fehr - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- David Perron - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Chris Kunitz - Nick Bonino - Beau Bennett
- Sergei Plotnikov - Matt Cullen - Daniel Sprong
D-Pairs:
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Kris Letang - Ian Cole
- Olli Maatta - Rob Scuderi
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Control the Flow: The Flames are struggling and the Penguins need to take advantage of that. The Pens need to shoot relentlessly on the Flames, but they also need to control the flow. Calgary has several great forwards, which means the Penguins need to control the flow and tempo of this game, otherwise the Flames could steal one away from the Pens, even if they are wounded.
3. Contain the Speed: Calgary may be struggling, but they are still incredibly gifted with their feet. The Penguins must contain their speed if they hope to stop the Flames tonight.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Evgeni Malkin: I love the way Geno is playing right now. He is creating a ton of chances with Phil Kessel on his line and they will only get better. E had been stuck on ten points and Id love to see him score a big goal. Maybe he can do that tonight.
3. Beau Bennett: I am really liking the way Bennett has played this year. He is finally playing without fear and it's working. Last night he passed up a few shots, but Id like to see him shoot some more than he has. His shot is good and I think he could make a difference tonight with a goal either on the second PP unit or the 3rd line.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- 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.
- 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
- Miller Lite Nite at Jerome Bettis Grille - 25pts
Just a reminder, there will NOT be a View From Where I Sat tonight. Pregame returns on Wednesday for our home showdown with Montreal.
Thank you all for stopping by. Enjoy the game and Let's Go Pens!!!