Hello Penguins fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. I'm thrilled to have you with me on this hump day in December. Tonight, our Penguins complete their second western trip in the Mile High City where they will take on Jarome Iginla and the Colorado Avalanche.
Puck drops on the action in Denver at 10:00pm eastern time tonight, but you can begin enjoying the Pregame now...
Tonight's "Big Dave Gameday Jam" is an appropriately titled tune with the state of the Penguins. It comes from the Massachusetts pop-punk outfit Four Year Strong. This song, "Abandon Ship or Abandon All Hope," comes off their debut album that is nearly 10 years old now. I hope you enjoy it!
The State of the Penguins
It seems the situation is critical entering tonight's matchup with the Avalanche. I wrote a week ago that this road trip, coming on the heels of a lousy home back-to-back stretch after Thanksgiving, would be make-or-break for Mike Johnston and the Penguins going forward. All that has happened since then has been a 1-2-0 trip thus far with the Penguins looking fairly pedestrian in all three matchups.
Tensions are high amongst the nation and the organization.
Matt Cullen held no punches back following the abysmal showing against the Kings. Rob Scuderi had strong words as well, though he was the last person who should criticize considering his level of play on this trip. The players are displeased with their level of play and now, the GM is letting it be known he is not happy either.
Jim Rutherford spoke to DK on Pittsburgh Sports' Josh Yohe following the team's loss to the Ducks Sunday night. Amongst the things Rutherford made clear, he is not happy with Johnston's player usage, especially when it comes to youngsters like Daniel Sprong and Adam Clendening. Rutherford wants to see them in the lineup and he's made that quite clear to Johnston over the last few weeks. Johnston has ignored the suggestion and Rutherford took it public that he is displeased. He commented to Yohe, "Well, we're going to have to do something to change things up. We have underachieved. We've definitely underachieved. We're in a position where we shouldn't be right now, and we know it. I am going to have to take a look at a few things."
Does this mean that we may be seeing the last game of the Mike Johnston era tonight, especially if the Penguins drop their third straight game?
I think it is hard to speculate exactly what Rutherford meant by those statements. Maybe it would be a player personnel change, maybe a coaching staff move. Who knows until it happens. But don't discount the fact that Rutherford came out and said this to Yohe, he is not happy and he is probably more likely to make a move now more than ever.
Many people are criticizing Rutherford for public throwing his coach under the bus. To an extent, I don't think it is the right move, but at the same time, it is clear Johnston's decisions and ways aren't working. And if there is one person he should be listening too more than anyone, it is Rutherford. He clearly isn't doing that and hence, the drama.
If things were crazy enough around this team, yesterday the news broke that fan favorite Pascal Dupuis would be forced to retire, effective immediately. Dupuis, who has suffered from blood clots and its reoccurring issues, decided enough was enough and that for the sake of his family that he would step away from the game. A devastating blow for the Penguins locker room for sure. Dupuis was a shell of his former self so far this year production-wise, but he remained a key piece in the locker room. Sidney Crosby was certainly hurt by the news when asked by the media yesterday, as were many of Duper's long time teammates.
This is a huge game for the Penguins, there is no discounting that. I want to see what move Johnston makes, will he make lineup changes to "appease" his disgruntled GM or will he stand firm with what clearly is not working? Only time will tell, but tonight may be one of those key games to the Penguins 2015-16 season.
Rocky Mountain Low: The Avalanche
The Avalanche continue to enjoy the basement of the NHL's Central Division entering tonight's matchup with the Penguins. Pittsburgh took the Avs down in their first matchup of the year at Consol Energy Center in mid-November by the score of 4-3. Matt Duchene was the Avs leader on that night with two goals. He currently leads all Colorado scorers with 14 goals on the season and 25 points. The ageless Jarome Iginla added two points that night and continues to enjoy a productive year with 16 points through 28 games. Nathan MacKinnon continues his resurgence after a sophomore slump with 24 points thus far this year.
Colorado has had another down season to this point and little has changed since the last matchup with the Penguins. They have gone 4-4-1 since the November 19th game with Pittsburgh. Colorado continues to struggle in their own zone, as the offense has scored at least two goals in 8 of their last 9 games and three goals in 5 of their last 9. Semyon Varlamov and Reto Berra have continued to struggle, allowing 28 goals over their last 9 games. If they could figure out a way to stop the pucks going in their own net with such frequency, they could put a good streak together moving forward.
The Avs enter tonight's final game v. Pittsburgh this year with a 12-15-1 record and seven points out of a playoff spot in the West.
The Lowdown on Colorado:
- 12-15-1 on the season, good for 25 points and last in the Central
- A minus-4 goal differential entering tonight's game.
- Colorado is 4-6-1 at the Pepsi Center this year.
- 5-5-0 in their last 10 games, 4-4-1 since their loss to Pittsburgh on Nov.19.
Scoring Leaders:
- C Matt Duchene - 25pts (14G-11A)
- C Nathan MacKinnon - 24pts (10G-14A)
- LW Gabriel Landeskog - 21pts (7G-14A)
- D Tyson Barrie - 18pts (3G-15A)
- C Carl Soderberg - 17pts (4G-13A)
Injury Report:
- F Ben Street (chest) remains OUT. The winger hasn't played since mid-November with a chest injury
- D Brad Stuart (back) remains OUT. A sore back continues to plague the veteran defenseman who hasn't played since November 10th in Philadelphia.
Projected Lines:
- Gabriel Landeskog - Nathan MacKinnon - Matt Duchene
- Blake Comeau - Carl Soderberg - John Mitchell
- Alex Tanguay - Andreas Martinsen - Jarome Iginla
- Cody McLeod - Chris Wagner - Jack Skille
Projected Pairs:
- Erik Johnston - Francois Beauchemin
- Nick Holden - Tyson Barrie
- Brandon Gormley - Nate Guenin
Reto Berra is the confirmed starter in net tonight for Colorado.
News & Notes From the penguins
- F Pascal Dupuis (blood clots) was forced to retire yesterday. A sad day for sure in Penguins nation, read my thoughts on it here: http://bigdavespenspregame.weebly.com/blog/goodbye-old-friend
- Also on the Duper front, you can send your messages to him via the Penguins site. Use the link here: http://penguins.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=109620&navid=DL|PIT|home
- D Kris Letang (undisclosed) practice yesterday and is expected to return to the lineup tonight.
Pens/Avs Matchup Notes:
- The Penguins won the first matchup of the season at Consol 4-3 on November 19th.
- Ian Cole led the Pens in scoring that night with 2 assist.
- Sidney Crosby had the game-winning goal, while Malkin, Kunitz and Perron added goals as well.
- Marc-Andre Fleury got the win that night
- Matt Duchene led the Avs in scoring, netting 2 goals on the night.
- Jarome Iginla and Tyson Barrie also chipped in two points that evening.
- The Penguins are 7-2 in their last 9 games against the Avalanche.
- The Flower has gone 8-3 in 11 career starts against Colorado.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- CEO David Morehouse underwent heart valve replacement surgery yesterday. He is expected to miss the next two months.
- Chris Kunitz has points in three straight games (1G-5A)
- Sidney Crosby has produced points in 7 of 8 games, collecting nine total points in that stretch.
- Kris Letang is just one point short of 500 career points. When he scores it, he will be the 5th Penguins defenseman to reach the 500 point mark.
- Olli Maatta has goals in consecutive games for the first time in his career.
Penguins Scoring Leaders:
- C Evgeni Malkin - 25pts (12G-13A)
- C Sidney Crosby - 18pts (6G-12A)
- RW Phil Kessel - 17pts (9G-8A)
- D Kris Letang - 14pts (1G-13A)
- LW David Perron - 10pts (4G-6A)
#AskBigDave
From Reedie on the Tweety: "Do you see Mike Johnston lasting more than another month as coach? Also, when GMJR said 'changes' does that simply mean a coaching move or something else like a trade?"
Well Reedie, if you read up to this point in the Pregame, you can see I don't think Johnston will last the rest of the week if they lose this game tonight and if they lose on Friday. So I do not think Johnston will be the coach when the calendar turns to 2016.
However, there could be one fly in the ointment. According to rumors, not positive if this is actually the case, GM Jim Rutherford does not have the authority to remove the coach without the consent of David Morehouse. Now, don't even get me started on Morehouse, but this is a major situation considering Morehouse will be out of communication for a few weeks after his heart surgery yesterday. Therefore, if the rumors are true and Rutherford cannot make a move without Morehouse, then we may be stuck with Johnston until the CEO returns to duty.
So we will see what happens. If Rutherford can make the move, and the Pens lose the next two games, I don't see Johnston being here past this week. If he wins or the Pens can't make the move without Morehouse, then it may not happen until the new year.
Now, for the second part of your question. The "changes" could refer to multiple things. A coaching change is one for sure. I think the first changes will be personnel already on the team. I wouldn't be shocked to see Adam Clendening in the lineup tonight and we may even see Daniel Sprong. I think those are two things Johnston could do to save himself in the eyes of GMJR. Now, can changes mean a trade? Sure, but that would be incredibly difficult with the cap situation. A subsequent move would need to be made, or the team would need to take on a big contract on the team. I think in order of what "changes" meant, it's in-house player personnel change, then coaching change, then trade.
This one comes from Dennis on the Tweety: "I feel the Pens problems are related to the sale of the team. That, and the lack of an enforcer. Your thoughts?"
This is a good question Dennis. Let me start with your query on the sale of the team. I think this is an excellent question to look at. Firstly, I don't think the Pens actual play, the way the players are playing, is necessarily attributed to the sale of the team. Obviously the like older guard, Crosby, Malkin, Flower, Letang are interested in the sale of the team because the relationships they've built with Mario over the years. That being said, I don't think their level of play is necessarily down because the team is for sale.
Now, I do think the sale of the team is playing a role in the way the organization is doing things. Let's start with the facts, the economy sucks and even guess with money to blow on a sports team are thinking twice about doing it. These sales almost never happen instantaneously, and with the economy the way it is, it is no surprise that it's not happening fast. Now, I do think the sale is playing a role in the management of the team. I think if the Penguins were playing this badly and the team wasn't for sale, the Penguins would have axed Johnston by now. The problem is, with the Pens struggles, the firing of the coaching staff would not help the sale of the team in some eyes. I, on the other hand, think it is a necessary move because when a team is winning games and has a great, entertaining product, then it is easy to sell the team for a big payday. If the Penguins make said move, i.e. firing Johnston, then I think it could bring the entertaining level of hockey we have grown to expect from these players and thus, the team would be more valuable.
So I think to a point Dennis, yes, the sale of the team is affecting the team.
Now, you second question on the lack of an enforcer. I would have no problem having a guy who could throw down when necessary, but I don't one a one-trick pony. If there is a guy out there that will fight, but also bring great PK skills or can be a scoring threat, then I'm all for picking him up. But if it's just a straight-up fighter, I'd pass. I think the Penguins are missing toughness, and an enforcer would be beneficial to the lineup, but not at the expense of skill. We saw the likes of Glass, Asham, etc in the lineup over the years and it does take away from the scoring in the bottom six. Is Dustin Byfuglien the answer? He sure is physical and a menace, but he does other things that concern me. Who else is there? I don't really know.
Concluding Dennis, I think an enforcer would be helpful, but not at the expense of skill.
This is a fun question from Penguins Addicts on the Tweety: "What Penguins have the best and worst mustaches for 'Movember?'"
Excellent question and quite the fun one. I do love a good mustache or beard, and god willing, I'll be able to grow a respectable one one day.
Let's begin with the worst ones first. I'd say Geno's is particularly bad, simply because he doesn't grow any. Of the ones who grow them though, none is worse than Sid's. Sid has the cross of a pubescent teenage and a horrible 70s pornstar. I respect his effort, but yeesh is it bad. So I would definitely say Sid's is the worst.
As for the best, I'd have to go with Pascal Dupuis. He has grown some wicked awesome staches over the years, especially when he goes fu manchu. He did that with Nealer a few years back and it was just awesome. Max Talbot would be a close second. He grew some good ones too. And let me give an honorable mention to Nick Bonino. Before "movember" started, Bonino had one hell of a beard going on. I attribute his struggles of late to its disappearance.
Projected Lines and Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Beau Bennett
- David Perron - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Eric Fehr - Nick Bonino - Patric Hornqvist
- Sergei Plotnikov - Matt Cullen - Daniel Sprong
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Ian Cole - David Warsofsky
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in net tonight.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Fight Like Hell: I feel like the Pens need to prove that they're still in there somewhere. That deep down, the guys that once took us to the promise land are still in there somewhere. I want to see these guys come out and show some serious passion, some serious fight. We haven't seen that consistently, especially from the whole group. I'd like to see that tonight with a lot on the line. If that isn't enough, do it for Duper!
3. Tough Mental Game: The Pens didn't play horribly against Anaheim, but the mental lapses on defense cost them in the end. Those same lapses were there on Saturday v. LA too. I'd like to see the Pens clean up that part of their game tonight. It is one thing to get beat by your opponent when you're going full bore, it is another thing to get beaten because you got lazy and let your guard down. Head in it, 60 minutes boys.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Kris Letang: Tanger returns after a two game absence. The return will certainly bolster the blue line, which was absolutely atrocious this past weekend. I look at his return as the jumpstart for his season. I think two games in the press box will help him immensely going forward, similar to how they helped Maatta two years ago. I think Letang will have a big night and moving forward.
3. Sidney Crosby: The Captain has had nine points in his last 8 games. He was playing better. The Dupuis news certainly hit him hard. When asked by the media what Duper meant to Sid, he said he wouldn't be able to get through telling them without crying. That says a lot about what Duper has meant to Sid and vice versa. I will be interested to see how Crosby plays tonight in light of that, especially since he has been so up-and-down this year. I personally think this could fire him up, but we will have to wait to see.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- ROOT Sports has the coverage locally tonight. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey with the call beginning at 10:00pm. Dan Potash will have the interviews.
- NBCSN will have national coverage for tonight's game.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage beginning at 9:30pm.
- 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 10:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage at 9:00pm. Josh Getzoff will host.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action.
Pens Points:
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts