Good evening Penguins fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. I am happy to have you all here on this rivalry night. Tonight, the Penguins will play host to the Metropolitan leading Washington Capitals at Consol Energy Center.
The puck drops on the action at 7:00pm tonight, but you can begin enjoying this jam-packed pregame now...
Tonight's "Big Dave Gameday Jam" comes from my favorite rapper out there. I thought with the new coach, this intro to this song would be perfect. Coming off his famed, "The Black Album," here is Jay-Z's "Public Service Announcement." Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
The Penguins finally made the necessary move on Saturday when they relieved Mike Johnston and Gary Agnew of their duties. Rick Tocchet was retained, and he will be joined behind the bench by new assistant coach Jacques Martin and new head coach Mike Sullivan.
Mike Sullivan is an experienced NHL coach. He has spent 13 years coaching in the NHL, primarily as an assistant to John Tortorella in Tampa, New York and Vancouver. This summer, he replaced John Hynes in Wilkes-Barre as the Baby Penguins coach and now he replaces Mike Johnston behind the bench in Pittsburgh. In 23 games in Wilkes-Barre, Sullivan led the Baby Pens to an 18-5-0 record and a plus-49 goal differential.
Sullivan is a no-nonsense guy and a great hockey mind. While Johnston was the "professor," Sullivan is the more straight-forward, aggressive type. He will not sit back and watch mediocre hockey. He will demand the best out of his players and make the moves necessary to have this team succeed. That is what the Penguins need and that is what they will get in their new coach.
The Penguins joined their new coach on the ice Sunday for their first practice together. Sullivan spent the practice trying to get to know his players, but also setting out to right the ship. They spent roughly 45 minutes working on their breakouts and zone entries, something this team has struggled with all season.
Followng their time on the ice, both players and new coach met with the media. It was telling from both ends about the future of this club and where they expect to be. Sullivan stated that he intends to create an identity for this team, one that will play to the strength of this roster. He isn't going to ask guys to play outside their role, instead he is going to create an identity for a team based on what every individual player brings to the ice on a nightly basis. It is the more "whole vs. sum of the parts" approach, an approach that championship calibre teams like Chicago, Los Angeles and even Washington are showing night in and night out. Sullivan will ask for a lot out of his players, and it sounds like they are ready to give him all they got.
Sidney Crosby acknowledged that it was on the players that Johnston is gone and Sullivan is here and that they have only themselves to blame moving forward. He also acknowledged that they have to work hard to fulfill what Sullivan is asking, but that it is accomplishable. David Warsofsky, who played 13 games under Sullivan in WBS this year, told DK on Pittsburgh Sports' Josh Yohe quote, "He [Sullivan] is very knowledgeable. He has a good way of getting his point across to guys, even some professionals who might be stuck in their ways. He can get through to you on a professional level and still be respectable about it. He seems to always get his point through."
I like what I hear. Sullivan won't be a pushover like Johnston and he will get the best out of these guys or as they say, "die trying." I like the approach and I like what he is saying. I am also glad to hear what the players had to say after practice about the Johnston firing and Sullivan's hiring and ideas. They seem to understand it is on them and they are going to buy into what Sullivan says.
But talk is cheap, and I want to see their actions coincide with their words. That will start tonight against the Capitals. I am not expecting flawless hockey after a coaching switch and two practices, but I am expecting to see another level of compete that we have maybe once seen this season. That is not too much to ask for from this team.
Ridin High on Capitol Hill: The Washington Captials
As much as it will pain Penguins fans to read that, they will be forced to admit that the Capitals are far from the flash team they were say 5 years ago with little substance. No, this team has the pieces, the philosophy and drive to bring the Stanley Cup to the Nation's Capital for the first time this year. And frankly, don't be surprised if they do it.
The Capitals are currently one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They sit atop the league's power rankings, thanks to a 8-1-1 record over their previous 10 games played. The Caps are also atop the Metropolitan Division heading into tonight's game with Pittsburgh as well, going 20-6-2 on the season so far and blowing teams away with their solid play.
There is no discounting the strength in this Washington team, as it comes from the group up front. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov has not cooled down from his hot start to the season. He currently leads the team with 28 points (9G-19A) in the teams first 28 games. Alex Ovechkin has continued from where he left off last season, potting 14 goals so far and posting 25 points in the process. Nicklas Backstrom, who missed the first week of the season after offseason surgery, has been outstanding as well with 24 points in 25 games. Veteran Justin Williams has been productive with 18 points thus far and TJ Oshie has been steady after the offseason trade to Washington. Defenseman John Carlson could be a Norris contender if he keeps posting points as he has, putting up 21 points in 28 games.
The Capitals, for all their glitz and glamor up front, have been just as impressive on the back end. Netminder Braden Holtby has been outstanding, currently leading the NHL with 18 wins on the season and averaging just 1.90 goals per game. He has certainly found his stride. The defense has played well also. Carlson is the main cog, but former Penguin Matt Niskanen has been solid too, as has Karl Alzner and Dmitri Orlov on the bottom pair. And much of this has happened without the likes of Brooks Orpik in the lineup for the last month. The evidence of their great play in this area is in their 3rd place standing in goal allowed per game in the NHL at 2.21, behind only Tampa and Los Angeles.
Washington is for real, and though the Penguins beat them earlier in the season, they should not be taken lightly. The Caps are one of the best teams in the entire NHL, the numbers prove it. And they still remain my pick to win the Eastern Conference this season at the quarter mark.
What You Need to Know About the Caps:
- 20-6-2 on the season, good for 42 points and 1st in the Metropolitan Division.
- Washington has gone 8-1-1 over the last 10 games, including a big 2-1 win v. Tampa on Saturday night.
- The Caps are a plus-23 goal differential entering tonight thanks to a 3rd ranked defense and 5th ranked offense.
- Washington has been solid on the road, going 9-3-1 away from the Verizon Center.
- The Capitals boast the league's 3rd best power play, converting on 23.3% of their opportunities.
Scoring Leaders:
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov - 28pts (9G-19A)
- LW Alex Ovechkin - 25pts (14G-11A)
- C Nicklas Backstrom - 24pts (9G-15A)
- D John Carlson - 21pts (4G-17A)
- RW Justin Williams - 18pts (8G-10A)
Injury Report:
- D Brooks Orpik (lower-body) is OUT tonight. The former Penguin defenseman hasn't played since November 10th because of a nagging groin issue. He started off-ice therapy last week instead of surgery.
- C Jakub Vrana (upper-body) is OUT tonight. The rookie underwent wrist surgery in early November and will be out another 2-3 months because of it.
Projected Lines:
- Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - TJ Oshie
- Marcus Johansson - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Justin Williams
- Jason Chimera - Jay Beagle - Tom Wilson
- Brooks Laich - Michael Latta - Chris Brown
Projected Pairs:
- Nate Schmidt - John Carlson
- Karl Alzner - Matty Niskanen
- Dmitri Orlov - Taylor Chorney
Braden Holtby is expected to start in net again tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- D Kris Letang (upper-body) is OUT tonight. While the nature of the injury hasn't been announced, it was announced that Letang is expected to miss roughly 2 weeks and it is not concussion related.
Pens/Caps Notes:
- The Penguins won the first of five matchups against the Caps this season. That 3-1 win came in Washington on October 28th.
- Nick Bonino, Phil Kessel and Beau Bennett scored the three goals in the Penguins win.
- Evgeny Kuznetsov had the only goal against Pittsburgh during that game.
- Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding on that night, stopping 33 of 34 shots.
- Penguins have won 10 of their previous 13 matchups against Washington entering tonight.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Mike Sullivan's first game as Penguins head coach. He previously served as the Bruins head coach from 2003-2006.
- Jacques Martin will return to the Penguins bench tonight as the new assistant coach focusing on the the defense. He did well there two years ago on Bylsma's staff.
- The Penguins begin the Mike Sullivan era with a 15-10-3 record.
- The Penguins PP needs work, as it is currently ranked 27th in the league with a 15.6% success rate.
- While the PP has struggled the PK has played well. They currently rank 5th in the NHL with an 84.2% kill rate.
- Chris Kunitz enters tonight's game on a 5 game point and assist streak. He has 8 points (1G-7A) over the last 5 games.
- Evgeni Malkin's 11 goals at home this season is tied for 2nd in the NHL. Malkin has 13 total goals on the season.
- Brian Dumoulin has been outstanding in December, posting 5 assists in his last 5 games. This ranks tied for 4th among all Eastern Conference defenseman since December 1st.
#AskBigDave
From Claire H. on the Tweety: "Coach Sullivan making players do pushups: is it a fun way to make practice more competitive? Or is it meant to humiliate?"
Fun question Claire. The push-ups at the end of the 3-on-3 scrimmage yesterday was a fun way to make practice more competitive. It is a very common thing around the league to do such things to spice practice up a bit. I do not believe there was any malice behind it at all. Sorry for the short answer, but I really don't think it was anything more than competition to make practice a little more interesting.
From Rob A. on the Tweety: "How long before the Pens make a deal, and how long before we see 51?"
A good question Rob, and one I'm sure is on the mind of many Penguins fans.
Let me start with Derrick Pouliot. Sullivan made note of him in his presser yesterday in how impressed he was with the way Pouliot has played so far this season for him in WBS. I would expect that we very well may see Pouliot at some point this season, but I think we may see a trade occur before Pouliot is called up. Let the young defenseman polish off his game a little further before he is thrown in the belly of the beast again, especially with all the changes currently revolving around the big club. Ultimately, I think if Pouliot isn't included in some deal in the next two months, when he is recalled he won't be sent down again. He will be here to stay.
I think the Penguins are going to make a move and soon. I don't think it'll happen before Christmas, but you never know. I would be willing to bet that Rutherford continues his personal trend of beating the competition to the punch so he doesn't have to give up more than he "should." We saw him do it last year in early January with the Perron move, the Klinkhammer deal before Christmas and he has done it repeatedly in Carolina in the past. I think he will do it sooner rather than later, especially with Kris Letang out of the lineup.
This one comes from Spencer W. on the Tweety: "Will Scuderi dress tonight? And if so, will fans bash Sullivan like they did Mike Johnston for dressing him?"
Excellent question Spencer. I think we will have to wait and see what happens with the lineup tonight, but I don't think Scuderi will be in there tonight. There is no hiding the fact that the Penguins have played significantly better without Scuds in the lineup this year, 3-0-0 so far without him, and considering that the non-playing of Clendening was a focal point in Johnston's dismissal, I doubt Sullivan will pick up on that trend. I think Clendening should get in there tonight. I think he will get in there tonight.
However, I wouldn't be surprised if Scuderi is in the lineup tonight. With Letang out, the Pens will likely want to have the veteran in there for PK purposes, but that will be up to Jacques Martin and Tocchet.
Now, if Scuderi plays tonight over Clendening, I think fans will complain about Sullivan leaving him in there. Lets face it, Penguins fans always find something to "bitch" about and Scuderi in the lineup and Sprong's usage are low-hanging fruit. I think we will be seeing the phasing out of Scuderi in the coming weeks and deeper incorporation of Sprong. It may not happen tonight, but I think you will see it moving forward. Until then, yeah, the Pens fans will complain about Scuds playing and Sprong not playing enough.
From South Side Shirts on the Tweety: "How will the new system differ from the 'old' system?"
An excellent question and one everyone wants to see tonight. DK on Pittsburgh Sports' Josh Yohe was told by new coach Mike Sullivan that the Penguins will play a different, more aggressive system, but not completely different from the Johnston system.
The fact of the matter is, the majority of NHL teams are playing a defensive system. It is why the league is as boring as it is. Sullivan has been regarded as more of defensive coach in the past as well. That being said, if Sullivan can be believed, he is going to make this a more aggressive team than the one under Johnston. I think that means we will see some of the defensive responsibilities lifted from the likes of Crosby, Malkin and allow them to be more aggressive, thus more dynamic. The Baby Pens play a defensive style, but they have no problem scoring the way they played under Sullivan. I think the Penguins can replicate that and to a higher degree, simply because the Penguins still have Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang.
I hope we will see a more entertaining brand of hockey; one that the Penguins have long been known to play. I don't think Sullivan's system will necessarily happen tonight, but I think we will see flashes of what the Penguins will look to do tonight. It should be a fun ride.
Projected Lines & 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:
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Olli Maatta - David Warsofsky
- Ian Cole - Adam Clendening
Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start in net tonight.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Avoid Penalties: The Capitals power play is lethal. If the Penguins are smart, they will avoid taking unnecessary penalties like the plague tonight. The Pens will be without Letang, and Duper too since he's retired, so they will need to rework that unit a bit going forward. For tonight though, I'd just like to see them keep the penalties to a minimum.
3. Superstars: The Penguins superstars have been... average for the most part this year. Mike Sullivan will install a new system that should allow the superstars like Crosby, Malkin, Kessel, etc. to flourish with a little more free reign. I think the big guns need prove tonight that the dynamic, point-machines are still here.
My 3 Players to Watch
2. David Warsofsky: Besides possibly having the greatest surname I've heard in years, Warsofsky has really impressed me in his first five games as a Penguin. He has not posted any points, but I love the way he moves the puck and fires on net. He also quarterbacks the power play incredibly well. Finally, Warsofsky knows what Sullivan will be looking for out of this team and thus he will have a little more pressure on him. He doesn't have the excuse of getting used to him, so he will need to show he is ready to take a big step forward, especially considering he will be playing in place of Kris Letang.
3. Daniel Sprong: While all the players probably feel for Johnston getting fired, a tiny part of Sprong is probably relieved. The 18-year-old rookie should finally be unshackled from Johnston's doghouse and allowed to play at to more than 5-7 minutes a night and play to his strengths. While he may still be on the 4th line tonight, I would expect to see his minutes grow more and more every night, and thus his level of play grow every night.
Honorable Mention - Mike Sullivan: Sullivan makes his debut as Penguins coach tonight. He is the right guy for the job in my opinion and his era begins tonight. I want to watch and see how Sullivan handles the lines and pairs tonight. Will he do some mixing and matching in his debut to try and spark things or will he simply go for the status quo tonight? Should be interesting to watch.
What to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- 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 30% off stocking stuffers! Also, on Tuesday take advantage of this week’s Super Tuesday special – all name and number tees just $19.99 at all Pens Gear locations!
- The Pens will host a toy collection for "Toys For Tots" tonight. 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.
- NHL Network will have the national broadcast tonight.
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 Giannillis II in Greensberg: 25pts
I'd like to thank you all for stopping by tonight.
I will be tweeting throughout the game, so check in with me on the Tweety during the action. Also, I intend on having a View From Where I Sat tonight, so be sure to check in for that after the game.
I will return with the Pregame on Wednesday! It is a special one considering it will be my 25th birthday and the Penguins are playing my most hated foe, the Boston Bruins. Don't miss out on that one.
I hope you all enjoy the game and I will see you in the post game. LETS GO PENS!!!!