Our Pens finish off this brief homestand tonight before hitting the road for a game in New Jersey tomorrow.
Welcome Penguins fans to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Glad to have you along on this Friday evening. Tonight, the Penguins will play host to their regional rival in Brandon Saad and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm tonight, but the Pregame begins now....
Tonight's "Big Dave Gameday Jam" comes from every 90s girl's teenage crush. Back then, he was the Romen Noodle headed leader of N'Sync. Now, he is a world superstar, talented actor and married to one of the handsomest women in the world. This song comes from his first installment of the "20/20 Experience." It's "Mirrors" by none other than Justin Timberlake. Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
Pittsburgh has been a team searching for identity from the first game of the season forward. They may have finally found it against Montreal.
The Penguins struck early and late in the first period against the Habs on Wednesday. In between the goals, the Pens played solid hockey. They posted 14 shots, created excellent chances and made the NHL's best team look ordinary. At least they did in the first period.
In the second period, the Penguins went to hell in a hand basket. They registered just one shot, gave up two goals and took several stupid, selfish penalties. The Pens left the ice down 3-2 and poised for disaster.
But then we had something happen that has yet to do under this administration, Johnston railed into this team.
The mild-mannered Johnston tends to let the locker room police itself; leaving the rallying to the likes of Crosby, Dupuis, Hornqvist and Scuderi. But not on this night and it made all the difference. Johnston came into the locker room immediately after the period ended and let them have it. It was a side the team hadn't seen in their coach and they rallied around him.
The Penguins came out and out played the Habs in the final period. They tied the game, sent it to overtime and ultimately won the game in a shootout.
The win was the first comeback win for the Penguins under Mike Johnston. Entering the night, the last time the Penguins had won a game after trailing after two periods was against Winnipeg in January 2014. Dan Bylsma was still the coach of this team for that occasion.
Wednesday's win could mean the turnaround in the Penguins story of this season. We had yet to see that level of fight when trailing in the final twenty minutes this year. That could very well result in the Penguins taking the next step forward. Tonight's showing will provide some evidence to that....
The Reign of Torts: Columbus Blue Jackets
Penguins faithful are familiar with the new bench coach of the regional rival Blue Jackets from his days in New York. He was an outspoken, demanding coach then and not much has changed now that he has taken control of Columbus.
The Blue Jackets began the 2015-16 season with high expectations. They were entering the season healthy, something that seriously hampered them last season. GM Jarmo Kekalainen made a mega-deal to acquire Pittsburgh native Brandon Saad from the champion Blackhawks just prior to July 1st. Defenseman David Savard, who had a breakout campaign in the struggles of the 14-15 season, signed an extension and the Jackets had the hopes that with the reinforcements and health, this team would go far.
While the Canadiens were racking up a huge win streak to start the season, the Jackets were racking up a huge losing one. Former Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky started horribly. His play this season has been nothing short of a disaster with a 3.64 goals against average and a sub-.900 save percentage. His struggles and the struggles of the team as a whole would lead to a season opening seven game losing streak. That streak would cost Todd Richards his job.
Enter John Tortorella.
Torts' reign of terror began as anyone would suspect. He called out his new team, benched his star forward and completely changed the way this team would operate.
While it still remains dark in Columbus, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. The Jackets currently hold the leagues worst record, however, they are 4-5-0 since Tortorella took over. Veteran Scott Hartnell paces the Jackets in scoring with 12 points in 16 games, while former Tortorella player, Brandon Dubinsky, has been a solid two-way player who has posted 11 points thus far. Former first rounder Boone Jenner leads the team in goals and oft-injured defenseman Ryan Murray has played well in 16 games to start the year.
The Jackets have a long way to go to get back in the hunt this season. It will be difficult for them to do after the start they have had. But John Tortorella, the diva that he is, has taken solid teams from mediocrity to playoff success in the past. I think it is only a matter of time until he does that in Columbus and his presence will certainly add more to the Pens/Jackets rivalry...
The Lowdown on the Jackets:
- 4-12-0 on the season.
- Columbus currently sits last in the Metro and holds the NHL's worst record.
- They have gone 4-6-0 in their last 10 games, but 4-5-0 under John Tortorella.
- The road has been good to the Jackets, where they have won all four of their games so far this season.
- They enter tonight losers of two straight games.
Offseason Acquisitions: LW Brandon Saad (Trade, Chicago), C Gregory Campbell (UFA, Boston)
Scoring Leaders:
- LW Scott Hartnell - 12pts (7G-5A)
- C Brandon Dubinsky - 11pts (4G-7A)
- C Ryan Johansen - 10pts (1G-9A)
- C Boone Jenner - 10pts (8G-2A)
- RW Cam Atkinson - 9pts (4G-5A)
Injury Report:
- C Alexander Wennberg (lower-body) is OUT tonight. He was placed on IR last week.
- RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (upper-body) is OUT tonight. He is set to miss four-to-six weeks according to Columbus reports.
- RW David Clarkson (lower-body) is OUT tonight. He was placed on IR last week as well.
Projected Lines:
- Boone Jenner - Ryan Johansen - Nick Foligno
- Scott Hartnell - Brandon Dubinsky - Brandon Saad
- Matt Calvert - William Karlsson - Cam Atkinson
- Jared Boll - Gregory Campbell - Rene Bourque
Projected Pairs:
- Jack Johnson - David Savard
- Fedor Tyutin - Ryan Murray
- Kevin Connauton - Cody Goloubef
Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to start in net tonight for Columbus.
News & Notes from the Penguins
- Evgeni Malkin and Matt Cullen missed practice yesterday. Malkin is reportedly sick according to HCMJ while Cullen was just taking a maintenance day. Both are expected in the lineup tonight.
- Rob Scuderi is questionable tonight with an illness. May not be bad to have Clendening jump in for a game regardless.
Pens/Jackets Matchup Notes:
- Columbus took three of the four games last season. The lone Penguin victory came at Consol on March 1st thanks to a Derrick Pouliot game-winner.
- Nick Foligno scored 5 goals in four games against the Penguins last season. Brandon Dubinsky had five points as well and Scott Hartnell posted three points in three games.
- Sergei Bobrovsky won both starts against Pittsburgh last season.
- Evgeni Malkin paced the Pens in scoring, posting three goals and five points in three games.
- Sidney Crosby has 20 career points v. Columbus in 14 career games.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The Dupuis Effect is real! The Pens are 18-4-1 with Duper in the lineup the last two seasons and just 35-28-11 without him.
- Olli Maatta's plus-11 mark is T-2nd in the NHL. Hopefully he rubs off on Letang.
- Phil Kessel has a current 4-game point streak entering tonight.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Pascal Dupuis - Sidney Crosby - Beau Bennett
- David Perron - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Chris Kunitz - Nick Bonino - Patric Hornqvist
- Sergei Plotnikov - Matt Cullen - Eric Fehr
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Rob Scuderi - Ian Cole
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Pepper Officer Bob: There is no questioning that Sergei Bobrovsky has struggled this season. The Pens tend to have issues against him, so it is important to not let him find some comfort in that fact. Pittsburgh needs to pepper Bobrovsky as much as possible. The more chances they get on him, especially with Columbus' struggling D, the better chance they will have to win.
3. Defensive Pairs: It seems we will finally see the necessary shake up in the Penguins defensive pairs. Letang and Maatta need to be together and the third period the other night showed their chemistry. As for Cole and Scuderi, they just need to hold down the fort until the coaching staff realizes they need to change Scuds for another defenseman, ie Pouliot or Clendening. Tonight, I want to see the way that 58 and 3 play together. That pairing finding their footing will go a long way.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Olli Maatta: While the switch in pairs will be looked more on how they affect Kris Letang, the change could be huge for Olli Maatta as well. Maatta has been incredibly ordinary this year, mostly because he's been chained to Scuderi. With Letang, Maatta will be able to standout more with increased minutes and the ability to play his style, which meshes well with 58. I think we could see a great game from the young Fin tonight.
3. David Perron: This guy has been one of the Pens best forwards the last 10 days. He has created numerous chances for himself and his linemates, but he has little to show for it. Many think that Perron's big shootout goal could be the jumpstart for him and I agree. Perron needs to keep doing what he's been doing and the goals will come, especially if Malkin plays at the level he did against Montreal too.
What You Need to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- The puck drops on Pens/Jackets at 7:00pm. Gates at Consol open at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional home jerseys tonight.
- Pens Gear's gameday special is 40% off old time hockey merchandise.
Here is what you need to know if you're watching tonight's game:
- ROOT Sports has the coverage tonight. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey with the call beginning at 7:00pm. Dan Potash will have the interviews.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage beginning at 6:30pm.
- Penguins Post Game will follow the game action.
Here is what you need to know if you're listening to tonight's game:
- 105.9 The X, the Penguins app, the Penguins website and iHeart Radio app are all places you can pick up the game tonight.
- Mike Lange and Phil Bourque will have the game call beginning at 7:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage at 6:00pm. Josh Getzoff will host.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action.
Pens Points:
- Attending the Game: 50pts
- Concession Purchases: 10pts
- Merchandise Purchases: 10pts
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts
Thank you all for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the latest edition of the Pregame show.
Just a reminder, no post game tonight. Pregame returns tomorrow for the showdown v. New Jersey.
Happy Friday! Party Hard and LETS GO PENS!!!