Hello everyone and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Tonight, the Penguins face the foe I hate the most. There is no love lost between me and that city, nor me and this team. No, I'm not talking Philadelphia, I'm talking about Boston and their beloved Bruins. Sit back and enjoy the ride folks, for tonight the Penguins head to the "Gahhden" to face the Bahstan Bruins.
Puck drops on rivalry night at 8:00pm tonight, but you can begin enjoying the latest edition of the Pregame right now...
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" comes from one of the few things I like about Boston. This band has composed some of the most notorious songs of the last decade, including "Shipping Up to Boston" that was featured in the blockbuster film "The Departed." That's right, I am talking about the Irish-Rock-Punk band the Dropkick Murphys and this song is called "Hang 'Em High." Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
This is a notion many out there in the nation would do well to remember. The Penguins are a franchise in transition and it will take some time before they are firmly on their new course.
That is not to say there were not positives to take out of Mike Sullivan's debut as Penguins head coach on Monday night. The Penguins came out with a lot more jump than we saw in any game with Mike Johnston this season. There was a new purpose, a new drive and the Pens seemed to be buying into it. David Perron told the media after Monday's loss that Sullivan did a phenomenal job behind the bench, that he was running them with "purpose," and it had a "good flow." That is great to hear and you could see the players were engaged. While the "system" so-to-speak was not overtly different from what we had seen in the first 28 games under Mike Johnston, the Pens without a doubt executed better breakouts and were creating better scoring chances than they had all year. The defenders were pinching and joining the rush more often as well and that, with both good and bad results, made an impact on the game.
Unfortunately, the Penguins lost the first game of the Mike Sullivan era but that is ok. Dan Bylsma lost his first as Penguins coach after coming up from Wilkes-Barre and he still went on to coach the Pens to the Stanley Cup. What we saw was a team in transition, but also a team that was buying into said transition. That is good for them going forward.
The post game and yesterday brought both good and bad news to the team as well.
The Penguins were able to make a deal to add a puck-moving defenseman, which was good. Trevor Daley, 32, was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for veteran defenseman Rob Scuderi. It is a deal that benefits both sides and Daley is expected to step into a top-4 role and use his speed and skill to help create more dynamic breakouts from the blue line; a trait Rob Scuderi could never do. Daley is expected to make his debut tonight.
Unfortunately, the Penguins added a few names to the injury report against Washington on Monday, both of which will be felt. Winger Beau Bennett was slammed awkwardly into the boards in the first period by TJ Oshie. He got up holding his shoulder and did not return. He will miss 4-6 weeks with what is likely a separated shoulder, though there has been no announcement besides "upper-body" injury.
Even more unfortunately, the Penguins will be without their number one backstop for the next one-to-two weeks. Marc-Andre Fleury told the staff following the game Monday night that he did not feel quite right, he has gone through testing and is experiencing concussion-like symptoms. It is believed the symptoms are stemming from being hit by Chris Kunitz accidentally in practice on Sunday, and not from game action against Washington. Regardless, the Pens will be without their best player for a few days.
The loss of Fleury and Bennett, along with the injury of Letang, will weigh heavy on the Penguins as they enter the Garden tonight. In Bennett they lose a winger that was generating chances alongside Sidney Crosby. His absence will shuffle the lines up heavily from what we had seen in the last few weeks. Conor Sheary or Kevin Porter will take his spot in the lineup tonight. Letang's absence hurts in several areas, including the ice time and power play, but the likes of David Warsofsky and Brian Dumoulin have filled the void so far. With Trevor Daley now in the mix as well, this loss won't be felt as often. Finally, the loss of Flower could be huge. There is no discounting the way he has kept the Penguins in this season, stealing wins for nearly two months now. With him out, the Penguins will turn to Jeff Zatkoff tonight, but ultimately should consider looking at Wilkes-Barre goalie Matt Murray to take the reigns. Murray, 21, was called up yesterday and is the future in the Penguins net. Now would be the time to give him a run in the big show without compromising his development.
The Penguins will have a lot to manage tonight. New guys in the lineup, a transitioning style of play and new lines. It will be a tough game for the Penguins because of those things alone. It will not be helped by the fact they are in enemy territory taking on the always frustrating Boston Bruins.
Bouncing Back in Beantown: The Boston Bruins
The New Englanders had a terrible year in 2014-15. Finishing outside the playoffs for the first time in quite some time. GM Peter Chiarelli was let go, replaced by Don Sweeney in the offseason. Coach Claude Julien, who heard plenty of rumors his job was up as well, ended up being retained by Sweeney to command this team once again. This was a smart move in my opinion, as the Bruins are in a transition phase of their own and need the experienced Julien at the helm.
The roster that made the Stanley Cup Finals three years ago, hell, the one that missed the playoffs last season, was vastly reshaped over the summer. Young defenseman Dougie Hamilton and veteran winger Milan Lucic were shipped out of town. Forwards Carl Soderberg, Gregory Campbell and Reilly Smith were all either allowed to walk or traded as well. Bottom pair defenseman Matt Bartkowski was let go, as was backup netminder Niklas Svedberg.
In their place, the Bruins are using a "patch-work" group until their salary cap issues get better at season's end. Matt Beleskey was the only big signing in the offseason and Jimmy Hayes was brought in in exchange for Reilly Smith. Youngsters David Pastrnak, Ryan Spooner, Brett Connolly and Colin Miller are being counted on to take a step forward in their development while veterans Loui Eriksson, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara and David Krejci bounce back from injury and/or down seasons in 2014-15. Veterans Tuukka Rask and Patrice Bergeron look to lead this team back to the top of the Atlantic after a struggle-filled season last year.
Thus far, the Bruins have been ok. They have been far from dominant defensively but they have also exceeded expectations offensively considering some of the guys on the roster. Loui Eriksson has bounced back to have a good year, as has the oft-injured David Krejci. That duo has 25 and 29 points respectively through their first 29 games this season. Patrice Bergeron has led the Bruins in scoring, posting 29 points so far while Zdeno Chara has bounced back from an injury plagued season to produce 17 points in 27 games played.
The young guns have also done their part. Torey Krug continues to develop into a top-pair, elite offensive defenseman. He has 17 points in 29 game so far. Center Ryan Spooner has replaced Carl Soderberg seamlessly by potting 7 goals and 16 points so far. Colin Miller, acquired from LA in the Lucic deal, had been solid on the blue line and chipped in 10 points. Winger Brett Connolly has put up 12 points to date while other offseason acquisitions Jimmy Hayes and Matt Beleskey have produced 27 points combined.
The Bruins have long been known for their defensive play, and while it hasn't been great this year, it has been better of late. Former Vezina winner Tuukka Rask got off to a horrible start this year, but has bounced back to post a respectable 11 wins and 2.52 GAA. Though down for a goalie of his talents, he is keeping the Bruins in games and giving the offense a chance.
Boston is still a hard-nosed, physical, pain-in-the-ass of a team they have always been. There is something in their DNA that just gets these guys to play a grinding, irritating style of hockey that usually results in success. While they have been far from flawless, or pretty to watch for that matter, they have hung around and are in the hunt for a playoff spot yet again.
What You Need to Know About Bahstan:
- 16-9-4 on the season, currently sitting 4th in the Atlantic Division with 36 points.
- The Bruins have a plus-13 goal differential entering tonight.
- Boston has been horrible at the Garden this year, going 6-7-2 at home while going 10-2-2 on the road.
- The Bruins have earned points in 9 of their last 10 games, going 6-1-3 overall.
- Boston ranks third in the NHL in scoring, potting 3.17 goals per game. However, their 21st rank defense is far from the norm in Beantown.
- The Bruins currently hold the league's best power play rate, scoring on 29.6% of their power play opportunities.
Scoring Leaders:
- C Patrice Bergeron - 29pts (9G-20A)
- C David Krejci - 29pts (9G-20A)
- RW Loui Eriksson - 25pts (11G-14A)
- LW Brad Marchand - 22pts (15G-7A)
- D Zdeno Chara - 17pts (5G-12A)
- D Torey Krug - 17pts (3G-14A)
Injury Report:
- LW David Pastrnak (lower-body) is OUT tonight. The young winger has been out since Halloween with a foot injury, but he has returned to skating with the team this week. There is still no timetable for his return.
- LW Chris Kelly (lower-body) is OUT tonight. The veteran winger will be out the remainder of the season after suffering a fractured femur on November 3rd. He was given a 6-8 month timetable.
Projected Lines:
- Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Brett Connolly
- Matt Beleskey - David Krejci - Loui Eriksson
- Frank Vatrano - Ryan Spooner - Jimmy Hayes
- Landon Ferraro - Max Talbot - Tyler Randell
Projected Pairs:
- Zdeno Chara - Adam McQuaid
- Dennis Seidenberg - Colin Miller
- Torey Krug - Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask is expected to start in net tonight with Jonas Gustavsson backing up.
News & Notes from Around the Penguins
- G Marc-Andre Fleury (upper-body) is OUT tonight. He will miss the next week or two with concussion-like symptoms.
- RW Beau Bennett (upper-body) is also OUT tonight. The California native left Monday's contest early holding his right shoulder. While no announcement was made, figure it's either a shoulder separation or a collar bone issue.
- D Kris Letang (upper-body) remains out as well. He was given a one-to-two week timeframe last weekend.
- C Nick Bonino (undisclosed) missed skate this morning and likely will be out tonight.
Transaction News:
- The Penguins acquired D Trevor Daley from the Chicago Blackhawks Monday night for D Rob Scuderi. Daley has 6 assists in 29 games for Chicago this year.
- Pittsburgh has called up G Matt Murray, W Conor Sheary and W Kevin Porter from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
- D Kris Letang and RW Beau Bennett have been placed on IR.
Penguins/Bruins Matchup Notes:
- The Pens dropped 2 out of 3 games to the Bruins last year, but did win their only matchup in Boston. The Pens won 3-2(OT) on November 24th in Boston, then dropped their January 7th (2-3 OT) and March 14th (0-2) matchups in Pittsburgh.
- Evgeni Malkin was the Penguins leading scorer in the season series last year, posting 3 goals and four points in three games.
- Sidney Crosby had a goal and three points in two games v. Boston.
- Patrice Bergeron is the Bruins returning leading scorer against the Pens, he had two goals in three games as did Zdeno Chara in just two games.
- Tuukka Rask won the two games in Pittsburgh, including the 2-0 shutout on March 14th.
- The Penguins are 7-1-1 in Boston in their last 9 games at TD Garden.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- If Conor Sheary and/or Matt Murray play tonight, it will be their NHL debut. Sheary is a Massachusetts native as well and attended UMass-Amherst.
- Neither Jeff Zatkoff or Matt Murray have faced Boston before.
- The Penguins have averaged 43.5 shots over their last two games. Unfortunately, they have only scored a combined 3 goals in those two games.
- Trevor Daley will make his Penguins debut after being traded from Chicago. He will wear the number 6 tonight, the first to do so since current teammate Ben Lovejoy.
- Matt Murray will wear number 30 for the Penguins tonight. That number hasn't been worn since Dany Sabourin wore it in the 2008-09 season.
- Conor Sheary will wear number 43 for the Penguins tonight. 2009 Stanley Cup team member Phillippe Boucher was the last to wear that number.
Meet the New Guys:
The Penguins have three new faces on the roster tonight. Here is what you need to know about them:
- G Matt Murray: Murray is probably the Penguins most "untouchable" prospect right now, even more-so than Derrick Pouliiot. Murray was selected in the 3rd round in 2012, the same year as Pouliot and Olli Maatta. In 2014-15, his rookie year in the AHL, Murray was lights out, winning 25 of his 40 starts enroute to winning the AHL Rookie of the Year and AHL Goaltender of the Year awards. This season in WBS, he has gone 12-4-0 with a 1.84 GAA and 4 shutouts. Murray, 21, will be the eventual replacement of Marc-Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh. Many thought he played well enough last year and in the preseason to join the Penguins out of camp, but he gets more play in WBS than he would've here. With Fleury out for the next week or two, Murray should be given the bulk of the starts.
- F Conor Sheary: He is the "Little Engine That Could." Undersized at 5'9" and 175lbs, Sheary went undrafted out of UMass-Amherst. In his four years there, he scored 38 goals and 141 points in 138 games. He joined the Baby Penguins full time in 2014-15, scoring 20 goals and 45 points in just 58 games. Sheary's breakout year earned him his first NHL contract this summer, a 2-year deal. His 25 points (6G-19A) this season were tied for the team lead with 2015 5th round choice Dominik Simon and 4th in the entire AHL entering tonight. Sheary is a quality player. He reminds me of a smaller version of Pascal Dupuis, who works incredibly hard to make up for his perceived faults. I think Sheary will be a good fit on the fourth line tonight with Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen.
- D Trevor Daley: The 12-year-veteran of the NHL will play for his third team in the 2015 calendar year. Daley played the first 11 season with the Dallas Stars, his best season coming in 2014-15 when he posted 16 goals and 38 points. His 16 goals last year were 5th amongst NHL defensemen. Daley was traded in a package for F Patrick Sharp this summer to Chicago, where they hoped he would be a replacement for the departed Johnny Oduya. That did not come to pass and his minutes were cut by November and he was relegated to the third pair. Daley didn't play poorly, in fact, like the man he was traded for, he simply didn't fit the system in Chicago. Daley is a solid, two-way defenseman with quick feet and good puck moving skills. He will fit the Penguins system well.
#AskBigDave
Lynsey, this is a question I think that was on everyone's mind with the coaching change. Sprong played almost 9 minutes on Monday night, but I was expecting him to play much more than that. Tonight should be interesting. He practiced with Kessel and Fehr on the third line on Tuesday, which makes me think we will see him play more minutes, but I cannot say that for sure.
Sprong is immensly talented, there is no denying that. He does, however, still have some holes in his game away from the puck that will have many behind the bench go slowly with him. But with the Bennett injury, Sullivan's hand is forced to play him more than he may have. It was hard to tell on Monday, but I think we will get a much clearer view of his intentions tonight.
As for the second question, I think they will definitely play more offensive and you could see that on Monday. The breakouts were better against the Caps and they generated a lot of quality scoring chances. They just got unlucky that they faced a hot goaltender in Braden Holtby.
The Penguins will certainly be more offensive with the change. I think you will see more of what we saw early in the 2014-15 season when Johnston's "system" was working.
From Rob A. on the Tweety: "With Fleury on the shelf for a week or so, does Zatkoff get all the starts or do the Pens call up Murray to see what he has, subsequently giving Jarry more starts in the AHL?"
Man, it is going to be hard to replace Marc-Andre Fleury, especially the way he has played Rob. In reference to your question, I think the Penguins should play Matt Murray over Jeff Zatkoff with the Flower on the shelf.
Zatkoff is a solid backup goaltender, but I don't think he is suited for playing every single night the way Flower or Murray are. I wouldn't be shocked to see Zatkoff in there tonight, but I'd expect Murray to play in at least one of the games this weekend.
Now, I would like to see Murray get the majority of the starts for the Penguins in Fleury's absence. This kid is the real deal. He has been lights out in Wilkes-Barre, winning 37 of his 57 career starts in the AHL, including 16 shutouts! That is ridiculous talent. I was very impressed by Murray in the "Hockeyville" game in Johnstown in September where he shutdown practically the regular lineup for the defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Murray is the future. He will be the replacement for Fleury down the road and this is an opportunity to give him some starts in the NHL without hurting his development.
And as you mentioned, it also gives Tristan Jarry more starts in Wilkes-Barre. Jarry has been solid down there and he deserves more starts as well.
From Reedie on the Tweety: "Why do the Penguins leave a man open at the front of the net when on the PK? Do you think thats just part of the team's PK or is it an error by players?"
Reedie, this has been sort of a problem for many years with the Pens and not only on the PK. Brooks Orpik was really the only defenseman that would keep players out of Fleury's face, and with his departure, they have had no one to clear the net.
For the PK, I think the Penguins are just more focused on using their four skaters to push the puck to the outside and block any shots they can. They aren't too concerned about clearing the guy in front of the goalie. That may change with Jacques Martin behind the bench, but for the PK style the Pens have been playing, it's not a big concern for them.
The biggest problem with this is they don't have the guy to do that job. Orpik, Hal Gill, Deryk Engelland did that job for years in front of Fleury. Now, the Pens don't have a guy who plays that way. For the most part, the Pens don't have a physical defensive corps, so I wouldn't expect this to change any time soon.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - David Perron
- Sergei Plotnikov - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Conor Sheary - Eric Fehr - Patric Hornqvist
- Kevin Porter - Matt Cullen - Daniel Sprong
Pairs:
- Olli Maatta - Trevor Daley
- Ben Lovejoy - Brian Dumoulin
- Ian Cole - David Warsofsky
PP Units:
- Malkin (point), Warsofsky and Crosby (half walls), Perron (net), and Kunitz (slot)
- Daley (point), Kessel and Maatta (half walls), Hornqvist (net), and Sheary (slot)
Jeff Zatkoff is expected to start in net tonight with Matt Murray backing up.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Substance Over Flash: The Penguins have become a team that is more concerned with how the goals look than how they get in there. The players say the right things, but then you see the power play and you know they are full of it. The Penguins need to score more goals, period. It doesn't matter if they are pretty or not. Get the puck, in the net, any way possible. They can do it, it's very simple. Start with firing as often as possible and having guys around the net to cleanup those rebounds.
3. Pick Your Spots: On Monday, we saw the defensemen pinch an awful lot to create offense against the Capitals. It is not a bad thing that they do it, unless they give up multiple odd-man rushes as a result; something they did a few times against Washington. I want to see the likes of Maatta, Dumoulin, Warsofsky, Daley pinch often, but I want them to pick their spots better so they don't give up so many odd-man rushes.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Trevor Daley: Will make his Penguins debut tonight and immediately jump into a big role. Daley will skate with Maatta on be top pair and work the point on the second PP unit. Josh Yohe reported he looked good in skate and I think he will be a big pickup for the Pens going forward. Look for him to have a good night tonight.
3. Conor Sheary: The Madsachusetts native will
make his NHL debut tonight. I love this kid and think he could be a great third line scorer for the Pens down the road. That is exactly where he will start tonight and Sullivan trusts him enough to put him on the second PP unit too. I don't know if he'll score tonight, but expect him to have a lot of energy and make things happen with Fehr and Horny.
What You Need to Know for watching/Listening
- It is a national broadcast tonight, as Pens/Bruins is featured on NBCSN's "Wednesday Night Rivalry." That means we will have Doc Emrick and Eddie O on the call, and most unfortunately, Regis between the benches.
- Game coverage begins at 8:00pm tonight, but NBCSN will have Pregame coverage beginning at 7:00pm. Yep, plenty of time to listen to Mike Milbury run his big mouth about nonsense... Fun...
What to know for LISTENING tonight:
- You will be saved tonight by the legendary voice of Mike Lange and the "Ol Two-Niner," Phil Bourque on the radio call tonight. They call the game action at 8:00pm
- Penguins Live will precede the game coverage at 7:00pm with Josh Getzoff and the members of Pens Inside Scoop.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action tonight.
Pens Points Opportunities Tonight:
- Pens Radio Net Keyword: 5pts
- Miller Lite Night at Gateway Grill in Monroeville: 25pts
I thank you all for stopping by tonight. Your support is once again greatly appreciated. Thank you for the endless interactions, tweets, retweets, likes, favorites, etc. You are all simply the best.
I will not have a View From Where I Sat tonight. I will tweet my post game thoughts after the game, so please check back for that.
I will return for this weekend's back to back home games. I'll have the Pregame for both the Boston and Carolina games, then return Monday for the big showdown with Columbus.
Everyone enjoy the game and lets hope the Penguins can open up a can of "whoop-ass" on the Bruins for my 25th birthday! LETS GO PENS!!!