It's been a busy week for our boys and tonight, they continue their home stand by hosting James van Riemsdyk and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Puck drop for this Eastern Conference showdown at 7:00pm at Consol Energy Center tonight, but the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame begins right now...
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" is a throwback for me. Back to when I was a young kid, expanding my musical horizons. This was one of my favorite bands during that period. They are the Cat Empire all the way from "Down Under." They're a little reggae, ska, latin, rock. They're fun. This is one of my favorite songs by them, "Days Like These."
The State of The Penguins
With the fan base, myself included, ready to riot after Tuesday's performance, the Penguins were focused on righting the quickly sinking shift on Thursday v. Ottawa. Luckily, they succeeded. The Pens won their first game of the 2105-16 season in shutout fashion. Final score 2-0 Pittsburgh.
There were several keys to the Penguins victory that must continue if they hope to have success this year.
Firstly, the Penguins need to buy into Mike Johnston's system. They finally did it on Thursday and the result was solid hockey and a win. Johnston praises puck possession, defensemen starting the rush and supporting th puck in all areas of the ice. Without that, the Penguins look, well like they did in the first three games of the year.
The full 60 minute effort needs to continue as well. The Pens are prone to being taking portions of the game off. They didn't do that on Thursday and the result was much better play. You wouldn't think you'd have to ask guys who play a sport for a living to focus, hustle for 60 minutes a night, but we've been here before.
Finally, the superstars need to be just that. Fleury pitched a shutout on Thursday. Malkin scored his first goal in 18 contests. Letang added an assist. Kessel and Crosby were productive, even if they didn't produce points. The Penguins will go as far as these five guys take them. If they buy in and produce, look out.
Lineup changes, both forced and voluntary also played a role tonight. Beau Bennett hit the injured reserve on Friday after missing the game Thursday. While we are used to him being on the shelf, his absence is more felt considering he was playing well.
Then there's the case of Rob Scuderi. The veteran defenseman was a healthy scratch Thursday in favor of the young, mobile Adam Clendening. While Clendening looked a little rusty, he was still and upgrade over Scuderi. I don't know if we will see it more frequently, but it was the smart move overall for the team.
The Pens generated a lot of offense and chances on Thursday. It's something Id like to see from them again tonight. While Toronto is far from a contender, a loss to the Leafs would be disastrous to this team going forward.
Starting From the Bottom: The Toronto Maple LEafs
The Leafs were just god-awful in 2014-15; going 30-44-8 on the season. Those 68 points were good enough for third worst in the NHL.
The city was at war with their team. Jerseys were being tossed on the ice after opponent's goals. Talk radio was calling for the heads of anyone associated with the team. The rest of the media was putting the blame on captain Dion Phaneuf and American Phil Kessel for the team's struggles. At the end of the day, the Leafs were a complete dumpster fire and the fan base would have to wait another year for a chance at Lord Stanley.
The rebuild began over the summer.
The Leafs gave two-time Olympic gold medal winning coach, and Stanley Cup winning coach Mike Babcock fifty million reasons to leave Detroit for Toronto. At the draft, the Leafs made Mitcher Marner the fourth overall selection from the London Knights of the OHL. The Leafs also made a front office move, bringing in long-time Devils GM Lou Lamoriello to help Babcock right the ship.
A few days later, the Leafs would make a huge move: sending Phil Kessel out of town. The Penguins came calling on the American sniper and GM Jim Rutherford pulled off a multi-player deal that sent Kessel, Tim Erixon, Tyler Biggs and a pick to Pittsburgh for Nick Spaling, prospects Kasperi Kapanen and Scott Harrington and a 2016 1st rounder. The move was scene as a win for both sides.
The Leafs understood that 2015-16 was going to be another lost year. Instead of overpaying for free agents, they signed veterans to short-term deals while the prospects gain experience for the future. Guys like PA Parenteau, Dan Winnik and Shawn Matthias were brought in to be stop gaps until the likes of Kapanen, Marner and William Nylander were ready to join the club full time.
The Leafs have gotten off to the expected start. They played three games opening weekend, going 0-2-1 in those contests. They had the last week off until last night, when they took on the Blue Jackets in Columbus. They exploded offensively against the struggling Jackets, scoring 6 goals on former Vezina winner Sergei Bobrovsky.
Notable Offseason Additions: LW Michael Grabner, RW PA Parenteau, RW Brad Boyes, LW Daniel Winnik, C Shawn Matthias, C Nick Spaling, C Mark Arcobello, D Scott Harrington, D Matt Hunwick, LW Kasperi Kapanen.
The Scoop on the Maple Leafs:
- The Leafs are 1-2-1 on the season thus far.
- The Leafs are 1-1-0 on the road this season.
- In 2014-15, Toronto went 8-27-6 away from Air Canada Centre.
Scoring Leaders:
- D Dion Phaneuf - 4pts (4A)
- C Daniel Winnik - 4pts (1G-3A)
- LW Joffrey Lupul - 3pts (2G-1A)
- LW James van Riemsdyk - 2pts (2G)
- C Leo Komarov - 2pts (2G)
Injury Report:
- C Shawn Matthias (shoulder) game-time decision tonight. He missed time this week after suffering a slight shoulder injury last weekend.
- D Stephane Robidas (groin) is OUT tonight. He was placed on IR last week with groin and knee pains.
Projected Lines:
- James van Riemsdyk - Mark Arcobello - Leo Komarov
- Shawn Matthias - Nazim Kadri - Brad Boyes
- Michael Grabner - Peter Holland - PA Parenteau
- Daniel Winnik - Nick Spaling - Joffrey Lupul
Projected D-Pairs:
- Dion Phaneuf - Jake Gardiner
- Morgan Reilly - Matt Hunwick
- Scott Harrington - Roman Polak
Jonathan Bernier is expected to start in net.
News & Notes From the Pens
- No updates on Bennett, Fehr or Dupuis
Leafs/Pens matchup notes:
- The Penguins have won their last 5 games against Toronto.
Miscellaneous Notes and Figures:
- Daniel Sprong became the fourth youngest Penguins goal scorer in their history when he tallied his first Thursday night. Only Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby and Doug Bodget were younger than Sprong's 18 years, 212 days.
- If Marc-Andre Fleury plays tonight, it will make his 600th career appearance.
- Ian Cole lead the Pens with 5 blocks on Thursday. He currently has 14 on the season which ranks second in the NHL.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Phil Kessel
- David Perron - Evgeni Malkin - Patric Hornqvist
- Kevin Porter - Nick Bonino - Daniel Sprong
- Sergei Plotnikov - Matt Cullen - Bryan Rust
- Kris Letang - Ian Cole
- Olli Maatta - Ben Lovejoy
- Rob Scuderi - Brian Dumoulin
- Letang, Malkin, Crosby, Hornqvist, Kessel
- Cole, Kunitz, Perron, Bonino, Sprong
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net.
My Keys to the Game
2. Faceoffs: The Pens faceoff numbers haven't blown the pants off me. It seems like every night there is one center who does great, but the others are mediocre. Faceoff wins, especially in the offensive zone are key to any success. Id like to see more wins tonight.
3. Special Teams: The PK had looked fantastic the last two games, but they need to keep it up. Porter, Cullen and Bonino have been great. Crosby, Malkin and Kunitz have performed admirably in this aspect. I want to see it continue. The PP, however, has been awful. They are "0-for" on th the year, and that's frankly unacceptable with this cast of characters. It looked better Thursday, but they need to take advantage of those situations.
My 3 Players to Watch
2. Brian Dumoulin: I love the way he's played so far this year. He looked great when paired with Lovejoy on Thursday. Dumoulin has underrated talent. His feet, passing ability and touch are incredible, you just don't often see it when he's tethered to Scuderi. We saw itThursday and I think we'll see it again tonight.
3. David Perron: He played so well on Thursday and didn't get rewarded with a goal. I think he will tonight and it will get him off an running.
What to Know if You're Watching, Listening or Attending
- Puck drops at 7:00pm tonight, doors open at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional home black jerseys tonight.
- Everyone in attendance will receive a Phil Kessel mini-stick courtesy of Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
- The Pens Gear Gameday Special is player name and number tees (sherseys) are just $21.99 tonight only.
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.
- Don't forget, the fifth season of "IN THE ROOM" premieres tonight after the post game show on ROOT.
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
Just a reminder, there will be NOT be a View From Where I Sat tonight. It is unlikely that I will be able to watch the game, so it's hard to judge when you don't watch. So I will refrain from spewing more nonsense at you.
Thank you all for tuning in. The blog, twitter and facebook pages have all seen an explosion of activity with everyone interacting and reading my stuff. Y'all seriously rock and I thank you so much for your continued support.
Everyone enjoy the game! Hopefully we will see the Pens get their second straight win and second of the season. LETS GO PENS!!!