Good evening Penguins fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame. I appreciate you stopping by for some fun. Tonight, our Penguins return home after a two week road trip to face the Los Angeles Kings at Consol Energy Center.
Puck drops on the action tonight at 7:00pm, but you can begin preparing yourself for the matchup right now....
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" is not just one song, but the entire August Burns Red christmas album. 'Tis the season folks! Enjoy my pregame tonight with 45 minutes of Christmas songs set to instrument rock from Lancaster's own ABR. It's one of my absolute favorite albums. Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
Pittsburgh had an array of distractions heading into Wednesday's matchup. Rumors were swirling about the state of the coaching staff after GM Jim Rutherford publicly questioned his coach following Saturday's loss in Anaheim. Many were convinced, that had the Penguins dropped their final game on the road trip that Mike Johnston would be out of a job by yesterday morning. That has not happened, yet.
Then there was the matter of Pascal Dupuis. The fan favorite announced Tuesday that he would be forced to retire following continued struggles with blood clots. It was a devastating blow to the fans and the locker room. Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz were probably the most affected, as they were Dupuis' linemates for nearly 5 years. Crosby was definitely hurt by the news. But while the news may have hurt, it also gave the Pens something to rally around Wednesday night in Colorado, and they did.
The Penguins played inspired hockey Wednesday night. After a back-and-forth first period, which saw the Pens enter the intermission down 2 to 1, they took over the flow of the game to start the second and generated numerous scoring chances. Though they did not succeed in scoring in the 2nd, they more than made up for it in the third. After killing off a 5-on-3 Colorado power play, the Penguins struck for three goals in a matter of minutes to take command of the game. Beau Bennett scored two goals and Patric Hornqvist was given credit for a fluky goal off an Olli Maatta shot. The Penguins would win by the score of 4 to 2 Wednesday in Denver.
While the Penguins played better and ultimately got the win, that still does not change the fact that this team is underachieving. It took them 45 minutes before they completely took over this game, which is saying something considering Colorado not only is one of the worst teams in the league at the moment, but looked completely disinterested in playing the last 40 minutes. Though the Pens played well all night, there are still things that remain to be resolved with Johnston and his staff.
Firstly, the amount of penalties the Pens are taking are ridiculous. They took several poor penalties last night, which is an indictment of the coach. Penalties happen, and with the ineptitude of the refereeing crews they happen more than they should, but the Penguins still need to be a more disciplined team. They have yet to clean that up.
Then there is the player usage issue. On Sunday, Rutherford told Josh Yohe he has wanted rookie Daniel Sprong and defenseman Adam Clendening in the lineup on a regular basis. Until Wednesday, Sprong hadn't played in nearly three weeks and Clendening still didn't make the lineup. While Scuderi was finally scratched, Clendening remained a press box hero for another game. Then with Sprong, much of what we have seen in the past from Johnston with the rookie occurred again in Colorado. Sprong played just six minutes and did not record a shift in the third period. He played well in his six minutes, but he is still being completely misused by Johnston. While Johnston is coach, Sprong is going to continually be misused. Same can be said for Rob Scuderi, while he is a good PK defenseman, he is not fit for regular duty anymore. But while Johnston and Agnew are behind the Pens bench, you will see Scuds play nearly every night. Don't be shocked if he's back in there tonight.
Finally there is the nature of the Penguins. Sure, they won on Wednesday night, but one win does not fix a season of underachieving. Johnston's philosophies don't match with Rutherford's, and frankly they don't work for the majority of the guys on the roster. The Penguins need to play more consistent than they have, and I am not positive that can happen with Johnston at the helm.
Tonight will be a huge test for the Penguins. I still don't believe that Johnston is off the hot-seat and a loss tonight could make it a very interesting weekend in Penguins nation. We said it on Wednesday, and it remains true going into tonight, we could be seeing Mike Johnston's last game behind the Penguin bench.
All Hail the Kings
While the rest of the Pacific Division has been a mixed bag, the LA Kings have dominated on a nightly basis. The Penguins saw just how dominate they can be only 6 days ago. The Kings embarrassed the Penguins in their matchup in Los Angeles, winning the game by a final score of 5 to 3.
The Kings are exquisitely constructed from top to bottom. Each player has a specific role and brought together, the whole is better than the sum of the parts. The Kings don't have a collection of the best players, but they have the collection of the right players. Something championship calibre teams always have, something we haven't seen in Pittsburgh since June 2009.
Los Angeles continued their hot play entering tonight. They are currently riding a five game win streak and are winners of 7 of their last 10 games. The top line of Milan Lucic, Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli pace the scoring, combining for 64 points over 27 games. Anze Kopitar, the quiet superstar, has posted 16 points so far, as has perennial Norris candidate Drew Doughty. Veterans Marian Gaborik, Dustin Brown and Alec Martinez have played better of late, helping the Kings on their current run.
Of course, Los Angeles doesn't get far without goaltending, and they have gotten excellent play from that position again this year. Former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick has posted 15 wins and a 2.18 GAA in 23 games this year, while backup Jhonas Enroth has a 1.17 GAA in 5 games played.
If they continue to play together at this level, and avoid pestering injuries, the Los Angeles Kings have the ability to join the Blackhawks this season as three-time Stanley Cup winners since 2010.
The Lowdown on LA:
- 18-8-1 on the season, good for 37 points and 1st in the Pacific Division.
- Los Angeles currently holds the 2nd best record in the Western Conference and 5th best in the NHL.
- The Kings have won 5 straight and gone 7-2-1 in their last 10 games.
- LA is 7-3-1 away from Staples Center this season.
Scoring Leaders:
- C Jeff Carter - 26pts (11G-15A)
- RW Tyler Toffoli - 20pts (11G-9A)
- LW Milan Lucic - 18pts (10G-8A)
- C Anze Kopitar - 16pts (8G-8A)
- D Drew Doughty - 16pts (4G-12A)
Injury Report:
- LW Kyle Clifford (upper-body) is questionable for tonight and will be a game-time decision. While he has skated this week, Clifford hasn't played since taking an elbow to the head in Sunday's win v. Tampa Bay.
- D Matt Greene (upper-body) is OUT tonight. Greene had shoulder surgery last week and will be out for an extended period of time.
- C Trevor Lewis (upper-body) is OUT tonight. Lewis didn't travel with the team to Columbus on Tuesday, but he was set too. There is not word if he will join the Kings on this extended road trip or not.
- LW Dwight King (lower-body) is OUT tonight. King has been sidelined with a foot injury and is scheduled to return to skating either this week or next.
Projected Lines:
- Tanner Pearson - Anze Kopitar - Marian Gaborik
- Milan Lucic - Jeff Carter - Tyler Toffoli
- Michael Mersch - Nick Shore - Dustin Brown
- Andy Andreoff - Jordan Weal - Jordan Nolan
Pairs:
- Brayden McNabb - Drew Doughty
- Jake Muzzin - Alec Martinez
- Christian Ehrhoff - Jamie McBain
Jonathan Quick is expected to start in net tonight for Los Angeles.
News & Notes from the Penguins
- D Kris Letang missed morning skate this morning and will be out tonight. He sustained a new injury from the one that sidelined him on the road trip.
Pens/Kings Notes:
- Final regular season matchup between these two teams tonight. The Pens lost last Saturday in Los Angeles 5-3.
- Former Penguin prospect Jake Muzzin had three points in that game, including the game winner.
- Milan Lucic and Drew Doughty also added two points a piece.
- Jonathan Quick got the win in net, giving up 3 goals on 20 shots.
- Chris Kunitz led the Penguins with 2 points, including a goal.
- Sidney Crosby and Olli Maatta also added goals for Pittsburgh.
- The Penguins won last season's matchup in Pittsburgh via a shutout (10-29-14).
- Anze Kopitar is hot heading into tonight, scoring 8 points in his last 8 games. Same for Jeff Carter, who has posted points in seven consecutive.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Kris Letang still seeks his 300th point tonight. One will do the trick and make him one of 5 Penguins defenseman to accomplish the feat.
- Olli Maatta has 4 points (2G-2A) in his first three games back from injury.
- Nick Bonino's third period assist was his first point in 9 games. His last point was an assist against Colorado at home on Nov. 19.
- Chris Kunitz has a four-game point streak heading into tonight (1G-6A)
#AskBigDave
I'm going to combine these two questions since they go hand in hand. From Reedie and Darci on the Tweety: "Any new candidates for Pens new top-4 defenseman with the extra cap space?" (-Reedie) "Who is available that you would want and do you think a defenseman is the biggest need?" (-Darci)
Great question and one I am sure is on the minds of many in Pens nation. Of course, the Penguins have some new cap space with the retirement of Pascal Dupuis. By placing him on LTIR, the Penguins free up nearly 3.75 million dollars in cap space. Add the roughly 400k they had already and they now have nearly 4.2 million dollars to play with.
Fun! Now, what do the Penguins do with those new funds?
Let me start with Darci's question in needs. I think the Penguins biggest need is a top-4 defenseman. Letang and Maatta are a good top pair, and Lovejoy-Dumoulin have created a solid shutdown pair. I'd personally love to see them add someone who could play in the top-4 to replace Scuderi and pair with Ian Cole. Then the bottom 4 defenseman could play relatively even minutes and leave the 3-58 pair to the huge minutes. A top-6 winger, especially one to play with Sid would be ideal as well. However, I think the Penguins can utilize Kunitz, Sprong, Bennett and Fehr in that role and find success. If the right deal is there for someone, either defenseman or forward, they should jump on it. But that being said, I'd say they need a defenseman more than a winger right now.
Now, to who is out there. I am going to talk strictly defenseman because I think that's the bigger move.
An old name that will continue to be mentioned until he is moved is Dustin Byfuglien. Big Buff has a 5.2 million dollar cap hit for the remainder of this season. He is a big, burly, and surly defenseman with a booming shot and the ability to play top-4 minutes. Many would like to see him added to the Pens because he can score, but also because he could play the enforcer role the Penguins do lack.
While many are pining for him, I for one am not. I think Buff is a decent defenseman, but I don't like his tendency to lose his head and take stupid penalties. The Penguins have enough problems with unnecessary penalties, they don't need to add another hot head to that mix. Besides, any more for Byfuglien would require the Pens dumping more money, which would be hard for them to accomplish at this point without trading someone they aren't willing to deal.
The name I really like is St. Louis' Kevin Shattenkirk. While many think it would be hard to get him away from the Blues, he is a name that has reportedly be shopped in the past. It is possible the US Olympian could be exchanged in the right deal. Besides last season, Shattenkirk has been a reliable "iron man," missing just 2 games over the previous three seasons. He is a solid, two-way defenseman, similar to Matt Niskanen. In 18 games this year, he has posted 14 points and he posted 44 points in just 56 games last season. He is a quality player.
Shattenkirk has a 4.2 million dollar cap hit. The Pens would need to send someone to the AHL to free up the remaining room to acquire him, unless they add a NHL player to the deal. I think Shattenkirk, who will become a free agent after the 2016-17 season, can be had at a reasonable price, not the "farm and kitchen sink" price.
As for the upcoming free agent class, here are several names the Pens could keep an eye on to play in the top-4:
- Nikita Nikitin (EDM)
- John-Michael Liles (CAR)
- Tyson Barrie [impending Restricted FA] (COL)
- Kris Russell (CAL)
- Dmitry Kulikov (FLA)
- Michael Del Zotto (PHI)
- Cody Franson (BUF)
- Zbynek Michalek (ARI)
I hope that answers your question Reedie.
This question comes from South Side Shirts on the Tweety: "If the Pens trade a forward for a defenseman, who do you think it would be?"
This is a tough question to answer, mostly because I don't think they are going to trade a forward on the roster for a defenseman. I think if they are going to make a deal, prospects or picks will be the nature of the deal. Remember, the Penguins have two 2nd round picks in this upcoming draft, so they could move one of them for a rental defenseman if they so choose.
If they were going to make a big move, then you have to look at guys with real value. Chris Kunitz would not fetch much, mostly because he's 36 and has a 4 million dollar cap hit. The two guys that would be most likely are David Perron and Patric Hornqvist.
Now, let me start this by saying I do not want to trade either and only in the right deal would I consider it, especially with Hornqvist. Because Perron is a rental, and unlikely to resign with us in the offseason, I'd be more willing to move him at the deadline. He could provide a team with a solid forward in exchange for defense. As for Hornqvist, I think he is being relegated for the wrong reasons. Him and Sid gelled fantastically last year, which is an indictment on the way the Pens are playing now, not the players themselves. So I would not look to give Hornqvist up in a deal. He could bring a huge prize in return in any such trade, but it would have to be an overwhelming deal for me to be ok with dealing him.
So, I think if the Pens are going to make a trade for a defenseman, it won't be for someone on the roster. I think they could trade a Pouliot, Jarry or another prospect and rely once again on draft picks to make the deals.
And the final question tonight comes from Mike on the Tweety: "When is the time to fire HCMJ and with duper out what do you think trade deadline will be like?"
Well Mike, I answered the second part of your question for the most part in the first part of this section. Though if you are asking whether the Penguins will have a big deadline or not, I think it will be more like last year and not like the Ray Shero era. I think you will see Jim Rutherford make a deal in January before the prices really skyrocket and to get the extra month out of the player.
Now, when is the right time to potentially fire HCMJ. Well, a month ago would have been fine with me, but I think it could happen before the calendar turns to 2016. Let's face it, besides the record the Penguins have not played good hockey consistently. I think that is an indictment on the coach more than anything. I think this roster as it sits now could win the division with the right coach. With a move or two, it could win the Stanley Cup. Again, that will only happen with the right coach.
Johnston is not that coach. He is a good junior coach and maybe in a different situation he'd be a decent NHL coach. but not right now and not for this team. The question then becomes when do you do it and who replaces him? We've discussed possible names in the past, but as for timing, I'd like to see it sooner rather than later. That way, the can still turn this season into a successful one.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Beau Bennett
- David Perron - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Nick Bonino - Eric Fehr - Patric Hornqvist
- Sergei Plotnikov - Matt Cullen - Daniel Sprong
Pairs:
- David Warsofsky - Olli Maatta
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Ian Cole - Rob Scuderi
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net tonight for the Penguins.
My Keys to the Game
2. Defensive Play: The Pens defense in last week's matchup was atrocious. They had several mental lapses that took them out of the game. This cannot happen again tonight. I love the way Dumoulin and Lovejoy are playing and Maatta and Letang looked good on Wednesday. I think Cole and Warsofsky can function as a good third pair, but if Rob Scuderi is reinserted, I will have some serious concerns.
3. Top Six: The Pens top six needs to be the fire power tonight. Crosby's line has looked better of late and I think they will continue to get better. The Malkin line has been lackluster of late. I'd like to see them get back to the same level they played with in late-November. If they can both put it together, look out! The Pens will be tough to beat.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Beau Bennett: The California native has played well this season, and added two huge goals to the pot on Wednesday night. Bennett is getting his chance in the top six role now, especially with Dupuis' retirement. Beau needs to continue his solid play and keep putting his name on the score sheet one way or the other. I think he can do it alongside Crosby and Kunitz.
3. Brian Dumoulin: He has been the Penguins best defenseman all season and showed it again on Wednesday night. Dumo created several excellent scoring chances against Colorado and added superb play in his own zone. His ice time has gone up exponentially over the last two weeks and he has responded in a very positive manner. I'd like to see him continue his growth, and I'd like to see him add some more offensively.
What to Know For watching/Listening/Attending
- The puck drops on Pens/Kings at 7:00pm. Gates at Consol open at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional home jerseys tonight.
- Stop by Pens Gear to get the new Penguins Christmas Shirt! Only available at Pens Gear.
- The Pens will host a toy collection for "Toys For Tots" the next two home games. Every fan who makes a donation upon entering CONSOL Energy Center will be eligible to win prizes. Be sure to make a child's Christmas.
- This year's "Pens and Paws" calendar is now available. You can pick one up behind section 120 or 217 tonight or order online.
- Also just in time for the holidays, you can purchase a copy of Eric Fehr's children's book "The Bulliest Dozer" at the Pittsburgh Penguins Silent Auction stand behind the First Niagara Club for just $20. You can also purchase the book by using the Foundation’s mobile bidding app at bidpal.net/pens.
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
- Miller Lite Nite at 11th Frame Bar and Grille in Bulter: 25pts
- Miller Lite Nite at Lagerheads in Coal Center: 25pts
Thank you for stopping by again my friends. I appreciate your continued support of the blog, Twitter and Facebook pages. It means the world to me that you all interact with me on those platforms. The Twitter page just reached 800 followers, and I'd love to reach 1000 by the end of the season. Please be sure to continue sharing the page in any way you see fit. My appreciation cannot be explained for that.
I will not have a formal post game tonight, but I intend on tweeting my thoughts following the game. Be sure to check in for that. For the Facebook followers, either follow along on the tweety, or I'll add them to that page as well.
I will be back Monday night with the next Pregame, so be sure to check in for it.
Enjoy the game everyone, LETS GO PENS!!!