Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. I apologize for missing Monday's game, but a busy weekend of work and travel had me completely wiped and without enough time to sufficiently create a quality pregame. I am glad to be back with you all tonight.
Tonight, our Penguins will play host as I mentioned to their opponents in the 2008 and 09 Stanley Cup Finals, the Detroit Red Wings. The old east/west rivals are now Eastern Conference foes who will face off for their second meeting of the season.
Puck drops on Pens/Wings at 7:00pm, but you can enjoy the Pregame beginning now....
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" is a throwback to my college days for me. This is a little known band I discovered my freshman or sophomore year and really came to like them. I haven't listened to them in quite some time however, and came across them yesterday in my iTunes as I searched for a song. The band is Conditions, and this is their song off their 2009 "You Are Forgotten" EP, "American Castles." Enjoy it!
The State of the Penguins
I, for one, have been rather bored with the Penguins play of late. It is getting to that point in the season where teams are tightening down and making a hard push for the playoffs. Goals are even harder to come by and defense really becomes paramount. It is not the same high-flying action you see the first half of the season, it's more like a nightly showcase of the Mike Johnston system.
That would describe the last three Penguins games to a T.
I am not saying they are falling back into that type of system, far from it. However, these last few game have been a little less eye pleasing than the ones we saw for the previous few weeks. The Penguins have scored just two regulation goals over their previous three games and they have gone 1-1-1 in that stretch. There has been so little offense and so much action in the neutral zone, it has taken away from the up-and-down, give-and-take of chances we were seeing from Pittsburgh of late.
I am not saying the last three games have been bad for the Penguins, I am just saying they have been incredibly dull to watch.
One thing we have seen, especially in the last two, is Phil Kessel become more of a presence. He scored a huge goal in Carolina and led the team with 14 shot attempts. He had another solid night Monday in Florida, despite failing to produce a goal or point. Kessel needs to be engaged moving forward, regardless of who is playing around him. He has the talent, he needs to keep the foot on the gas for this team to succeed.
Olli Maatta has looked phenomenal over the last few games. His defensive play has been outstanding, but he is getting more rushes up ice and creating chances alongside Kris Letang. Maatta continues to get better and I can legitimately see him become a player in the same mold as former Penguin Sergei Gonchar. I don't know if Maatta will ever score or work the power play like Gonch, but he will be a shutdown defenseman with some offensive talent for sure.
Finally, Marc-Andre Fleury has been an absolute beast in net. He played well in the Penguins 3-0 loss to New York, then followed it up with two stellar performances in Carolina and Florida, despite a shootout loss to the Panthers. The Penguins would not even be in this position without the Flower, and he is doing everything he can to make sure they get to playoffs even if he has to do it himself.
The Penguins begin another three games in four days stretch tonight. Tonight the face the Red Wings who have control of the second spot in the Atlantic, followed by the Lightning Saturday at Consol before heading to Buffalo for another matinee Sunday. The Penguins need points out of all of these games, six ideally. It likely won't make or break their year, but it could be a factor in their overall season success.
Motoring in Detroit: the Red Wings
In their first year without long-time coach Mike Babcock, the Detroit Red Wings are in the same position they have found themselves annually the past two-and-a-half decades, contending for a playoff spot. Jeff Blashill has stepped in seamlessly behind the Detroit bench and the Red Wings hope to make the most of a good mixture of youth and veteran talent.
While the Wings haven't been lights out of late, the struggles of the team around them have propelled them up into second place in the Atlantic Division, just 5 points behind the Florida Panthers. A 5-4-1 record over their last 10 games has Detroit within reach of division lead, but also firmly in the playoff talk in the Atlantic. Baring catastrophe, Detroit should qualify for yet another Stanley Cup Playoff appearance.
A big reason for the Wings success in 2015-16 is not from their big named veterans, but their younger talent. First, there is rookie sensation Dylan Larkin, who has greatly impressed in his first year at the highest level. The University of Michigan product has 18 goals and 38 points through 56 games. His 0.68 points per game average is fourth amongst rookies, trailing only Connor McDavid, Artemi Panarin and Shayne Gostisbehere. Larkin was also Detroit's only all-star this year and set the world record for speed skating at the All-Star Skills Challenge.
Another youngster who has been key for Detroit is netminder Petr Mrazek. The 24-year-old Czech burst on the scene last year down the stretch and has sufficiently supplanted Jimmy Howard as the number one goaltender in Hockeytown. Thus far this season, he is 22-10-5 with a 2.02 goals against average. He has also pitched four shutouts.
Though not rookies, youngsters Tomas Tatar and Gustav Nyquist continue to be key figures in the Red Wings current success and future. The tandem have combined for 64 points through 57 games so far. Tatar is currently second on the team with 16 goals.
Not to be left out, the veterans have been very good for the Wings. Captain Henrik Zetterberg leads the Wings in scoring with 40 points, while his longtime linemate Pavel Datsyuk has produced 34 points in 42 games. Niklas Kronwall has been solid this year, posting 17 points while big time offseason acquisitions Mike Green and Brad Richards have each contributed 21 and 18 points respectively.
Detroit is still the same quality hockey club they have been for, well, many, many years. Don't expect the Penguins to just run them over as they did on New Year's Eve. This should be a closer game, one that could go either way.
The Lowdown on Detroit:
- 29-19-9 on the season.
- 67 points, currently second in the Atlantic.
- 5-4-1 in their last 10 entering tonight, including a 4-1 loss to the Isles in their previous game.
- Detroit is a minus-1 goal differential entering tonight.
- The Red Wings are 14-9-3 away from Joe Louis arena this season.
Scoring Leaders:
- LW Henrik Zetterberg - 40pts (11G-29A)
- C Dylan Larkin - 38pts (18G-20A)
- C Pavel Datsyuk - 34pts (12G-22A)
- LW Tomas Tatar - 33pts (16G-17A)
- LW Justin Abdelkader - 31pts (14G-17A)
- RW Gustav Nyquist - 31pts (14G-17A)
Injury Report:
- LW Drew Miller (knee) is OUT tonight. The veteran winger will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing reconstructive ACL surgery in January. He is expected to be out of action for 4-6 months.
- D Niklas Kronwall (knee) is OUT tonight. While the veteran defenseman has returned to the ice of late, he will not play tonight v. Pittsburgh with a nagging knee ailment. He could return this weekend.
- D Jonathan Ericsson (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Kronwall's usual partner will miss this game as well while dealing with a lower-body issue. He hasn't skated of late and was officially ruled out of action yesterday by head coach Jeff Blashill.
Projected Lines:
- Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Justin Abdelkader
- Dylan Larkin - Brad Richards - Tomas Tatar
- Gustav Nyquist - Andreas Athanasiou - Tomas Jurco
- Riley Sheahan - Luke Glendening - Darren Helm
Projected Pairs:
- Kyle Quincey - Danny DeKeyser
- Brendan Smith - Mike Green
- Xavier Ouellet - Alexey Marchencko
Petr Mrazek is expected to get the start in net for Detroit tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- C Evgeni Malkin (lower-body) has skated the past few days and is progressing according to HCMS. He will continue to skate, but his return to full practice and game action has not been released yet.
- D David Warsofsky (concussion) practiced fully today and took contact. He likely could be heading back to WBS with Pouliot playing and Cole serving as the seventh defenseman.
- C Nick Bonino (hand) is progressing according to HCMS. Bonino broke his hand in mid-January and was given "about a month" in time frame. It has been a month, and Sullivan noted that Bones started skating this week.
- No updates on Eric Fehr or Beau Bennett.
Pens/RedWings Matchup:
- Tonight is the second game of the season series. The final game is in late March in Detroit.
- The Penguins won the first matchup this season 5-2 on New Year's Eve.
- Pittsburgh has won 4 of its last 6 games at CEC against Detroit.
- The Penguins have scored at least 4 goals in 7 of their last 10 games v. Detroit.
- Pittsburgh is 6-2-2 over their last 10 v. the Red Wings.
- Kris Letang and Patric Hornqvist lead Penguin scorers going into tonight. Each has three points, as does Evgeni Malkin who won't play tonight.
- Sidney Crosby also scored a goal in that game.
- Jeff Zatkoff got the win in net that evening.
- Justin Abdelkader and Brendan Smith were the lone goal scorers for the Wings that night.
- Patric Hornqvist has 2 goals and 7 points in his last 5 games v. Detroit.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- Penguin legend Mario Lemieux was named a 2016 Distinguished Honoree of the Order of Hockey in Canada.
- The Penguins have the NHL's 6th best record since the start of 2016, going 11-4-4 over the past month and a half.
- Pittsburgh has points in 12 of their last 15 games played (9-3-3 record).
- Sidney Crosby has 14 goals and 20 points in his last 10 games at CEC.
- Chris Kunitz has 13 points (6G-7A) in his last 12 games played.
- Patric Hornqvist has been a shot machine since his reunion with Sidney Crosby. He led the team with 6 shots v. Florida on Monday and has the 5th most shots in the NHL (107) since December 14th.
#AskBigDave
Good question, especially in light of my blog post on Tuesday that discusses the Baby Pens play in Pittsburgh. If I had to pick one guy who is my favorite player overall, not based solely on his play, it is Oskar Sundqvist. There is just something about the kid that has me very excited to see where his NHL career is going to go. Through six games, he has impressed me with his defensive play, forechecking and his play in the dirty areas. I'd love to see him add a more offensive dimension to his game, as well. If he can do that, i think he will certainly be a great NHL 3rd line center and the replacement of Jordan Staal.
If I had to pick based on the way they've played so far this year, then I would go with Bryan Rust. He only has two goals and no other points, but I love his speed, defensive play and the expanded role he's gotten the last few weeks. He is a really good winger and should replace Beau Bennett next year on the roster for sure.
Hope that answers your question.
From "Penguins Enthusiasts" on the Tweety: "What do you think GMJR will do at the deadline? No moves? Bottom 6 winger? Defenseman?"
A question that is on everyone's mind at the moment with just about 12 days until the deadline. I honestly don't know what to expect from GMJR and the organization at the deadline. I have heard and read from many outlets that the Penguins are not expecting to make a blockbuster deal, which isn't surprising. These outlets have also stated that any deals made will be minor ones.
I ultimately think they will make some kind of move. I would pick up a more reliable 7th defenseman than Ian Cole and I wouldn't mind another top-9 winger in case of injury or crap play from Fehr or Bonino when they return. Those would be the two types of players I'd look for come February 29th.
Now, TSN's Pierre LeBrun wrote Tuesday that the Penguins are monitoring Toronto defenseman, and pending UFA, Roman Polak heading into the deadline along with Arizona winger Mikkel Boedker. LeBrun feels Polak would be a great fit on the Pens bottom pair and PK, but I am less than certain about him. I wrote a few weeks back I'd rather see the Penguins chase impending UFAs Dan Hamhuis, who continues to be linked to Pittsburgh, and Kris Russell. Both would be a big help and add to not only the PK, but the PP as well. I really like Boedker, and can see him having a big impact on this team. However, he is an UFA with a lot of upside; aka he wont come cheap. I don't want to give away the farm on a guy we may not be able to re-sign. I think he may be worth a second rounder alone, which I would risk, but nothing more. Among other names I've written about are Kris Versteeg, Jonathan Drouin and Brandon Prust for that role.
Only time will tell, but this would be my plan if I'm GMJR.
From Rob A. on the Tweety: "A three part question, Who was on your first hockey card? Who was your favorite player as a little kid? And who is your favorite non-Penguin player?"
Oh wow! This is a fun one. I love these kinds of questions. Ok, lets see...
I don't really remember who was on the first hockey card I ever got. I collected mostly baseball cards as a kid, though hockey was probably my second biggest collection, I think I got a pack of cards first and can't remember who was the first one in it to be honest. I know I had, still have actually, a bunch of Mario Lemieux cards. He became one of my favorite players as a kid after I sent him letters and he sent back signed pictures. Those meant the world and that's how I became a diehard Penguins fan. I also had a bunch of other players as well. Patrik Elias was a big one, Teemu Selanne and Paul Karyia from Anaheim. I also really liked Anson Carter who played for the Rangers and Edmonton for spurts. Patrick Roy too. He was my favorite goalie as a kid. I know I had a bunch of their cards.
My favorite player as a little kid is tough. I don't know if I could pick a specific favorite player back then. I loved Mario because he replied to my letters and was just unbelievable to watch, though I didn't get to see him much living on the other side of PA. But I always loved him. Roy again was one of my favorites. I really liked watching Sergei Gonchar when he signed for the Penguins and then Brooks Orpik became my eventual favorite player of all-time starting in 2008. Just loved Brooks' physical play and his hits. Always stuck with me. But before him, 66, Roy and Gonchar were definitely the top of the list.
Hmmm, my favorite non-Penguin. Well since Brooks once played for the Pens, I won't include him or any other player that did. My favorites over the years have always been Brooks, Jordan Staal, Zbynek Michalek, Deryk Engelland, Rob Scuderi and Matt Cooke. But outside the Penguins organization, I really like Jonathan Toews. Love the way he plays, his success and the way he carries himself. He is a true professional and a real role model for kids. I also really like his teammate Niklas Hjalmarsson. He's a really under-appreciated defenseman and a vital piece in the Blackhawks recent run of success. Other than them, I really like Detroit's Niklas Kronwall, who reminds me a lot of Orpik, Carolina's Eric Staal and Washington's Nicklas Backstrom.
Projected LInes & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Matt Cullen - Phil Kessel
- Tom Kuhnhackl - Oskar Sundqvist - Bryan Rust
- Scott Wilson - Kevin Porter - Conor Sheary
Pairs:
- Olli Maatta - Kris Letang
- Brian Dumoulin - Trevor Daley
- Derrick Pouliot - Ben Lovejoy
Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start in net tonight for the Penguins.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Top Line: Crosby, Kunitz and Hornqvist have played really well of late. All three also have good numbers against Detroit. See where I am going with this? These guys need to have a big night and score a few points if possible, especially since the Pens will be without Malkin once again.
3. Power Play: There is no questioning this aspect of the Penguins has been affected most by Malkin's absence. The PP is just 1-for-14 or so since Malkin went out of the lineup 10 days ago. The Pens made an adjustment on Wednesday by replacing Kunitz with rookie Conor Sheary, who is expected to work the goal line in a similar fashion that Crosby does when Malkin is in. It's a bold move by HCMS, but one I think could help this struggling unit.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Sidney Crosby: After a really hot stretch, the Penguins captain has gone three straight games without a point. I don't think it's any coincidence that Crosby's numbers have dropped these last few games, especially since he has been the primary target of each team with Malkin out. However, he has good numbers against the Wings and his numbers at CEC are insane of late. I think the Captain has a big night.
3. Phil Kessel: Phil the Thrill needs to keep playing a higher level like the one we saw in Carolina. Phil exerted himself that game and really looked like the primo Phil from Toronto. I want to continue to see Kessel shoot in high quantities and use his speed to create chances for himself and fellow speedster Carl Hagelin. That duo should thrive against the bigger, but slower, Detroit defense.
What You Need to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- Puck drop is 8:00pm on Rivalry Night with the doors to CEC opening at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional home jerseys tonight.
- The Pens Gear Gameday Special is all items at PensGear stores at CONSOL Energy Center are 50% off during Thursday’s game and all remaining home games during the month of February!
- “The Bulliest Dozer,” co-written by Penguins center Eric Fehr, is now available for sale at the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation’s silent auction stand outside of the First Niagara Club. This children’s book about why bullying doesn’t pay is signed by Fehr 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.
- The latest edition of "In The Room" is available on the Penguins website at the link here: https://www.nhl.com/penguins/video/c-41378403
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:
- Game Attendance: 50pts
- Concession Purchase: 10pts
- Merchandise Purchase: 10pts
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts
- Miller Lite Nite at Bigham Tavern in Pittsburgh: 25pts
- Miller Lite Nite at Baja Bar in Pittsburgh: 25pts
- Miller Lite Nite at Latitude 360 in Pittsburgh: 25pts