Good evening Penguins fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. What an All-Star weekend it was in Nashville where folk hero John Scott stole the show from some of the biggest stars in the game. Tonight, the Penguins regather and begin their march to the Stanley Cup Playoffs by starting the second half with Erik Karlsson and the Ottawa Senators in town.
Puck drops on Pens/Sens at 7:00pm tonight, but you can begin enjoying the Pregame now...
We are gettin a little country with "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" tonight. Since the All-Star was in the country music capital of the world this past weekend, let's enjoy a little southern music lovin' our first game back. This is one of my favorite country songs out there. It's Jason Aldean, featuring Luke Bryan and Eric Church, called "The Only Way I Know." Enjoy y'all!
The State of the Penguins
The Penguins return to the ice tonight after a week long break for the league to put on the All-Star game. Prior to the break, the Penguins were playing some of their best hockey of the season and were winners of three-straight games. Sidney Crosby was streaking, Kris Letang was playing his best hockey all year and guys like Kunitz, Kessel and Maatta were really starting to look like the players of old.
The break came at an unfortunate time for the Penguins, but regardless, it's time for them to make their march toward the playoffs and it must start now. They enter tonight in the final wild card spot, and eighth overall seen in the Eastern Conference. There is plenty of work to be done.
I wrote over the break the five things the Penguins need to have happen in the second half to have success the remainder of the year. I won't go into length, but here's the jiff: the Penguins need their role players like Bonino, Fehr, Kessel, and Kunitz playing up to their normal levels, their stars to keep playing at a high level, win within the division, fix the roster holes and avoid major injury. If they can do that, the Penguins will have a chance not only to make the playoffs, but to make a run at the Cup. For more details on those keys, enjoy the blog post here: http://bigdavespenspregame.weebly.com/blog/in-the-stars-5-things-pens-need-in-the-2nd-half
Tonight starts the need for those things to happen. The Senators, who haven't played their best of late, are in town. The Penguins need to pick up right where they left off last week and get a big win to continue their streak out of the gates. It is a big game, as the final 34 games will be with the Penguins on the fringe of the playoffs at this very moment.
Hanging Around: The Ottawa Senators
At this time last year, the Senators were roughly in the same place they find themselves now. They were near the bottom of the East, on the verge of making a play for Connor McDavid in the draft and hoping to play spoilers for other teams in the conference.
Then the Sens went on a roll. They called up goalie Andrew Hammond who won 20+ starts down the stretch while defenseman Erik Karlsson led the team offensively to get Ottawa into the playoffs. Karlsson won the Norris. Hammond became a folk hero and many thought the Sens were a team built for another successful season in 2015-16.
While the Sens haven't played poorly, they haven't played like they had down the stretch last season. The Pens earned their first win of the season v. Ottawa in October at Consol, and the two teams have played to a similar level to this point. However, unlike the Penguins who were trending up heading into the break, the Sens were struggling mightily. Over their previous ten games, the Senators are a mere 4-6-0.
The Senators haven't struggled to score points this year thus far. Two-time Norris trophy winner Erik Karlsson already has 52 points through 50 games. He looks to repeat as the Norris winner, especially if he continues to play at this level. American Bobby Ryan finally looks like the guy from Anaheim, scoring 18 goals and 43 points through 49 games. Winger Mike Hoffman has followed up his breakout 2014-15 season with a hell of a productive first half. He has 39 points through 46 games while sophomore Mark Stone has posted 33 points despite a minus-17 rating.
The struggles for the Sens has been on the backend. Ottawa is a minus-16 in goal differential entering tonight. No one group is to blame for this, but everyone could be better. Stone is a minus-17 entering tonight, while fellow forward Kyle Turris has a minus-11 rating. The defensive corps is split with some guys in the black rating-wise, while others are in the red. It's been the goaltending that has struggled the most to this point. Both Craig Anderson and Andrew Hammond have struggled. Anderson reclaimed the starting job in camp and has 20 wins in 39 starts while posting an average 2.81 GAA. The "Hamburglar" as he was called, is only 3-5-2 with a 2.96 GAA after almost single-handedly taking the Sens to the playoffs last season.
It is not safe to assume the Senators are done. In fact, they may be one of the most dangerous teams in the East going forward because they did the impossible last season. This is primarily the same roster and, though unlikely, it is not impossible to think they could go on a similar run this year. The Pens need to come out guns ablaze tonight and don't let the Senators hang around. This is a solid team, not a pushover.
What to Know About the Senators:
- 23-21-6 overall record.
- Currently sits 6th in the Atlantic Division, six points out of the last guaranteed playoff spot in the division.
- Ottawa has gone 4-6-0 over their last 10 games, including losing their last game before the break.
- The Senators are a minus-16 in goal differential entering tonight.
- The road has been unfriendly to the Sens as they have already lost at CEC this year and are 11-13-2 away from Ottawa this season.
Scoring Leaders:
- D Erik Karlsson - 52pts (11G-41A)
- RW Bobby Ryan - 43pts (18G-25pts)
- LW Mike Hoffman - 39pts (22G-17A)
- RW Mark Stone - 33pts (11G-22A)
- C Mika Zibanejad - 31pts (10G-21A)
Injury Report:
- C Kyle Turris (lower-body) is a game-time decision tonight. The veteran center missed the last few games before the All-Star break with an ankle issue, but will likely return tonight.
- D Marc Methot (undisclosed) is a game-time decision tonight. Methot has missed the last 5 games with an undisclosed ailment and it is unknown if he will partake tonight.
- LW Clarke MacArthur (concussion) is OUT tonight. MacArthur hasn't played since October with the concussion symptoms but he has begun skating. There is no timetable for his return.
- LW Milan Michalek (upper-body) is OUT tonight. Michalek missed nearly 20 games with a broken finger in December and broke another digit prior to the All-Star game. He will likely miss the next few weeks because of it.
- D Chris Phillips (upper-body) is OUT tonight. It appears the 37-year-old veteran defenseman's career may be over. Phillips hasn't been able to recover from offseason back surgery and the Sens don't expect him back this season.
Projected Lines:
- Mike Hoffman - Mika Zibanejad - Bobby Ryan
- Zack Smith - Jean-Gabriel Pageau - Mark Stone
- David Dziurzynski - Curtis Lazar - Alex Chiasson
- Shane Prince - Max McCormick - Chris Neil
Projected Pairs:
- Mark Borowiecki - Erik Karlsson
- Patrick Wiercicoch - Cody Ceci
- Jared Cowen - Chris Wideman
Craig Anderson is expected to start in net tonight.
News & NOtes From the Penguins
- D Kris Letang (upper-body) was given a maintenance day Monday after partaking in the NHL All-Star festivities over the weekend. Same for F Evgeni Malkin who was also involved in Nashville.
- F Beau Bennett will be out "long term" according to Mike Sullivan. Bennett returned v. Vancouver after missing nearly 6 weeks with an upper-body injury. He reinjured himself in that contest and won't play for an extended period.
- D David Warsofsky (concussion) skated Monday before Penguins practice. He hasn't played since January 17 and still has no timetable for return.
- No updates on Nick Bonino who has been out with a broken hand.
Roster Moves:
- F Conor Sheary and F Scott Wilson have been recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
- The Penguins signed veteran enforcer Tom Sesito to a one-year, two-way contract today. He has spent the majority of the season with the Baby Pens, scoring 2 goals and 6 points through 19 games. He was placed on waivers and is expected to return to WBS.
Pens/Sens Notes:
- The Penguins won the first matchup of the year 2-0 at Consol Energy Center.
- Marc-Andre Fleury earned his first of four shutouts in that game. Flower is 3-0-1 in his last 4 v. Ottawa.
- Evgeni Malkin and Daniel Sprong scored both goals for the Pens.
- The Penguins are 7-1-2 over their last 10 games v. Ottawa and 4-0-1 in their last 5 home games v. OTT.
- Evgeni Malkin has scored 11 goals in the last 10 home games v. Ottawa.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Pens enter tonight on a 3-game winning streak overall and a 4-game winning streak at home.
- Pittsburgh has gone 6-0-2 in their last 8 home games.
- D Kris Letang was named the NHL's "Third Star" for the month of January. Letang had 14 points (3G-11A) in 10 games.
- C Sidney Crosby enters tonight on a 7-game point streak (5G-5A), a 3-game goal streak and goals in 9 of his last 15 games.
- RW Patric Hornqvist is hot of late, posting 14 points (4G-10A) in his last 12 games.
- LW Carl Hagelin has a four-game point streak entering tonight.
- D Derrick Pouliot scored his first point of the season in last Tuesday's win over NJ.
#AskBigDave
Hahaha, alright Reedie, let's talk John Scott. While he became folk hero at the All-Star game this past weekend in Nashville, I think it's safe to say the feel-good story is over for Scott. He will return to the Montreal AHL affiliate and likely jump back-and-forth between there and the NHL the remainder of the season. That being said, no, I do not believe the Penguins will go after him. While they could certainly use someone with grit, I'd much prefer them go after someone like Brandon Prust who could play legitimate minutes every night.
Now, as for your Kris Letang query. I looked up the numbers and Letang enters the second half of the season tied for seventh among NHL defensemen in scoring with 33 points. Erik Karlsson, who we will see up close tonight, currently has a 9-point lead on San Jose's Brent Burns in the scoring race with 52 points. Dallas' John Klingberg sits in third with 40 points thus far.
The way Letang has played of late, I can see him getting close to the top of the scoring charts, but I think he is going to have a really hard time overtaking Karlsson or Burns. Karlsson is the straw that stirs the Sens offense, so he will figure in on a lot of their points going forward. Barring injury, it will be tough to take it from him. Then there is Chewbacca, I mean, Brent Burns. Burns is often forgotten because he plays in San Jose and doesn't get the exposure, but he is a hell of a player. He has 18 goals so far on the season and I don't think 30 is out of the question. I think he is the only one who could dethrone Karlsson this year, unless Letang goes on an insane run over the last 34 games. The other thing going against Letang is his plus-minus. His is the worst (minus-12) of all the guys in the top-10 entering tonight. While plus-minus isn't a huge stat, it does tend to play a little bit of a role in this award. Karlsson is a plus at the moment, so he has that in his favor as well.
So Reedie, I don't think it is impossible, but I think Karlsson or Burns will be the one who takes home the Norris this summer.
This one comes from David on the Tweety: "Who is your favorite current Penguin player and who is your favorite Penguin of all-time?"
This is a great question David and one I hoped would come eventually. I suppose I'll start with favorite Penguin on the current team. This is a tough one, because a lot of my favorite players have been moved over the last few offseasons. I'm normally a big fan of the defensemen, and I really do like Olli Maatta, Brian Dumoulin and Ben Lovejoy, but I think my favorite current Penguin has to be right winger Patric Hornqvist. Unlike many out there in the nation, I was really excited to get Horny in the Neal trade. I thought he was what the Pens needed and he has played really well over his season and a half. I just absolutely love the way this guy plays. I love the way he hustles every shift, his style of play and how he seems to gel really well with Crosby on the top line. He just has something about him that is hard not to like. So I'd say Hornqvist is my favorite current Penguin.
As for all-time great, I hate to disappoint the masses, but it is not Lemieux, Jagr, Sid or Geno. As I stated above, most of my favorite guys have left the team over the last few years. I was always a huge Jordan Staal fan, along with Deryk Engelland, Rob Scuderi, Matt Cooke and Zbynek Michalek. But my favorite Penguin of all-time, and my favorite player overall, is former Pens defenseman Brooks Orpik. Any of my friends will tell you I am a huge Orpik fanboy and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I loved the way he played for us for so many years. He was a bruising, hard-hitting, stay-at-home defenseman. I loved watching him lay out huge hit after huge hit; I mean, how can you not love the infamous "shift" from the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals? He just had that air around him that he was a terrifying player but in reality, he is a really nice man. He was a great leader in the room and a key to winning the '09 Stanley Cup. I was heartbroken to see him leave two years ago, but he could have left for a huge contract after 2008 and he took a discount to stay here. I always respected him for that and along with his play, he became my favorite. So Brooks Orpik is without a doubt my favorite Penguin of all-time. Thanks for the question David.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Tom Kuhnhackl - Eric Fehr - Bryan Rust
- Kevin Porter - Matt Cullen - Scott Wilson
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Brian Dumoulin - Trevor Daley
- Ben Lovejoy - Derrick Pouliot
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net tonight for the Penguins.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Special Teams: The PP and PK have been outstanding of late. The kill has been perfect in four of its last five games. I'd love to see that continue tonight. Offensively, the Sens PK hasn't been great and I'd like to see this hot power play take advantage of the struggling defensive play of Ottawa.
3. Role Guys: I mentioned in my weekend post and earlier in this pregame how I want role players to turn their seasons around and start being more productive offensively. That won't happen over night, but that does need to begin tonight. The likes of Kessel, Kunitz, Fehr, Bonino, Cole, Lovejoy don't need to have career nights tonight, but they need to start laying the foundation to a successful second half. Do that, lay the cornerstone.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Phil Kessel: The methodical sniper is starting to look like the guy that found success in Toronto. I believe a major reason for that is the addition of Carl Hagelin, who uses his speed to create odd-man rushes with the speedy Kessel. The two have found chemistry and combined for several goals of late. I think Kessel will continue to benefit from this line combination and really take off. I don't think 20 goals over the next 34 games is out of the question, lets see him get the first tonight.
3. Derrick Pouliot: Time to see what this kid is made of. We got a taste of him last year, but his summer and camp play was atrocious. He wasn't scoring like a fiend in Wilkes-Barre like he did last year, but his defensive play did improve while in the AHL. Now, it's time for him to put it all together and help solve some of the Penguins problems. He certainly has the talent, and with Sullivan behind the bench I think he will light the fire under the youngster that he needs. I'd like to see 12-16 solid minutes from him tonight and maybe a point. Do that, and I'll be content young man!
What to Know for Attending/Watching/listening
- The puck drops on Pens/Sens at 7:00pm. Gates at Consol open at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional home jerseys tonight.
- It's a giveaway night at Consol! Every fan in attendance tonight will receive a Penguins t-shirt presented by Fox's Pizza.
- Stop by Pens Gear tonight where you can pick up the Valentine’s Day T-shirt for your special someone... or yourself, because that's more fun!
- 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 for WATCHING tonight:
- 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:
- Attendance: 50pts
- Concession Purchase: 10pts
- Merchandise Purchase: 10pts
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts
A Few Final Things
- The Twitter page now has over 900 followers and counting.
- The Facebook page has seen an uptick as well, with now over 260 likes and counting.
- The blog has done incredibly well over the last few weeks. Over the last 7 days alone there have been just about 4,000 hits on the blog, including a single day total of 1,065 on January 28th. That is simply phenomenal and I greatly appreciate it.
I am sure many of the dedicated have checked them out, but if you missed it, I produced three new pieces to the blog over the break. The three pieces can be found in the links below:
- 5 Surprising Players: http://bigdavespenspregame.weebly.com/blog/who-saw-that-coming-top-5-penguins-surprises-of-1st-half
- 6 Possible Trade Targets: http://bigdavespenspregame.weebly.com/blog/market-value-6-trade-targets-for-the-pens
- 5 Keys to the 2nd Half: http://bigdavespenspregame.weebly.com/blog/in-the-stars-5-things-pens-need-in-the-2nd-half
I will likely just tweet out my post-game thoughts tonight, so do not expect a View From Where I Sat. I want to do more of those over the second half so be on the lookout over the next few weeks for a few of those.
Be sure to continue to tweet and comment to me. I will except all #AskBigDave questions via Facebook and Twitter and I will add them to the upcoming Pregames. I will also have more #BigDaveRamblings sections to discuss the trade markets as the deadline approaches. I hope you like both of those sections.
That is it for me for tonight. I thank you all again for your outstanding support. See you during the game on the Tweety! LETS GO PENS!!!!