Good evening ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. Tonight, the Penguins return home after a heartbreaking loss to Washington to face the always troubling New York Rangers.
Puck drops on Pens/Rags tonight at Consol Energy Center at 7:00pm. Until then, enjoy my Pregame with everything you need to know and more about tonight's matchup!
Tonight's "Big Dave's Gameday Jams" comes from one of the best bands out of New York/New Jersey region in the last few years. They play a great brand of rock music that I've really gotten into the last few years. They remind me of a new Bruce Springsteen in a way. They are the Gaslight Anthem. I think you'll like them. This song is called "Here Comes My Man."
The State of the Penguins
That is what the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans need after Tuesday night's game in Washington. The Penguins controlled the flow of the game for the majority, falling victim to tired legs in the final minutes before falling to the NHL's President Trophy leaders.
The Penguins played a solid game. Matt Murray was phenomenal in net Tuesday in just his 5th career NHL start. If there are still any doubts about his readiness at this level, it should be gone now. Bryan Rust also played very well. He led the Penguins in shot attempts and shots on goal. While he was the subject of eyre among some of the writers and Twitter goers, Rust's chance creation and opportunities are something to commend. My only detraction is I'd like to see him hit the net a little more often. Patric Hornqvist continued his hot play by adding yet another goal. That makes 4 goals on the week for the Swede, while Evgeni Malkin added his first goal since returning from injury in the first period.
It was a disappointing loss for the Penguins Tuesday. A win would have gone a long way in their march for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, tonight's game is far more important than even that one.
The Penguins will host the New York Rangers tonight at Consol Energy Center, their second of four meetings this regular season. The Penguins were shut out in the first meeting between these two teams on February 10th. And the Rangers have had their number in recent years; eliminating the Penguins in the previous two Stanley Cup Playoffs and controlling the season series over the last two years 1-3-1. The Rangers have the Penguins numbers, and while the players say they aren't in their heads, the Rangers certainly seem to be.
Pittsburgh needs a win tonight. The points are of course important, as every point is crucial down the stretch, but the Penguins need a win over the Rangers for their piece of mind. They need to beat Lundqvist, beat the Rangers, so they can finally get off this slide against their division rivals. It is imperative and why tonight just may be the most important game of the season.
Broadway Tango: New York Rangers
The New York Rangers always seem to heat up down the stretch and into the playoffs. They have a knack for getting the most out of their team at the most important time of year. I doubt there will be a change to that norm this season, especially with how they are playing right now.
The Rangers are 7-2-1 over their past 10 games, and enter tonight riding a three-game win streak. New York is where they normally are in terms of scoring and goal prevention, currently ranked 6th in offense and 10th in defense entering tonight. The only area of struggle at the moment for the Rangers is their special teams, where both the PP and PK are ranked 26th in the NHL.
The Rangers success is once again led by their Vezina winning netminder, Henrik Lundqivst. He enters tonight with a 31-16-4 record with a 2.28 GAA. Lundqvist is an elite goaltender, helped out by a defensive system that blocks a lot of shots before getting to him. The combination is key to their overall success.
Offensively, the Rangers have a good dispersion over the roster. Winger Mats Zuccarello leads the Blue Shirts with 47 points on the season. Center Derick Brassard, who currently leads the team with 22 goals, sits just a point behind with 46. Keith Yandle, subject to trade rumors for the past 6 weeks, remained with the team and leads the blue line with 35 points this season. Pittsburgh native JT Miller has been hot of late, and his 34 points is currently ranked 4th on the team.
The Rangers were big spenders at the deadline as well. They bagged a prize fish when they acquired center Eric Staal from the Carolina Hurricates for a prospect and two second round picks. They also added Chris Brown from Capitals in exchange for Ryan Bourque. The Staal deal will have far more impact than the Brown move however. Staal, even in a down year, is a big boost to the New York offense. He currently is slotting in on the third line and could be big piece down the stretch and into the playoffs.
The Rangers have the Penguins number, and if they have their way, it'll continue tonight. The Penguins need to find a way to break down the Ranger style and somehow get two points from this personal annoyance.
The Lowdown on the Rangers:
- 37-20-6 overall record.
- The Rangers currently have 80 points, good for second in the Metropolitan Division.
- New York is hot of late, winning 3 straight and 7 of their last 10.
- The Rags are 7-2-1 over their last 10 games.
- The road hasn't been as kind as MSG to the Rangers, who are a mere 14-14-3 away form the Garden this year.
Scoring Leaders:
- RW Mats Zuccarello - 47pts (21G-26A)
- C Derick Brassard - 46pts (22G-24A)
- D Keith Yandle - 35pts (4G-31A)
- C JT MIller - 34pts (17G-17A)
- LW RIck Nash - 33pts (12G-21A)
Injury Report:
- RW Jesper Fast (illness/nose) is OUT tonight. The Rangers winger has been suffering from an illness according to the press, which is his official cause for being out tonight. However, he did break his nose in practice last week as well.
- LW RIck Nash (lower-body) is OUT tonight. Nash has missed a few weeks now with a nagging knee ailment. He underwent an MRI last week that came up clean, and is expected to resume skating by next week.
Projected Lines:
- Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Mats Zuccarello
- JT Miller - Derick Brassard - Viktor Stalberg
- Oscar Lindberg - Eric Staal - Kevin Hayes
- Tanner Glass - Dominic Moore - Dylan McIlrath
Projected Pairs:
- Ryan McDonagh - Dan Girardi
- Keith Yandle - Kevin Klein
- Marc Staal - Dan Boyle
Henrik Lundqvist will start in net tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- No updates on D Ben Lovejoy, F Beau Bennett or F Eric Fehr.
World Cup of Hockey Roster Announcements:
- D Olli Maatta was selected to the partial roster of Team Finland.
- C Evgeni Malkin was selected to the partial roster of Team Russia.
- G Matt Murray was named to the partial roster of Team North America. The North American team is comprised of all Americans, Canadians under the age of 23.
- C Sidney Crosby was named to the partial roster of Team Canada.
- LW Carl Hagelin and RW Patric Hornqvist were surprisingly left off the partial roster for Team Sweden, though both could still be named to the final roster on June 1st.
- Like Hagelin and Hornqvist, Phil Kessel was left off the initial Team USA roster. He could still be added to the final roster in June 1st.
Pens/Rangers Matchup Notes:
- Tonight is second of four matchups between these division rivals tonight.
- The last regular season matchup between Pens/Rangers in Pittsburgh.
- New York won the first matchup of the year 3-0 on February 10th.
- Jesper Fast, Kevin Hayes and Dominic Moore scored the three goals in the first matchup.
- Henrik Lundqvist pitched a shutout in that game.
- The Rangers have won four of their last five regular season matchups against Pittsburgh. The only Penguin win came in 2014 via the shootout at CEC.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The Pens are 11-2-2 in their last 15 games at CEC.
- Pittsburgh Gold has been good to the Pens, as they are 7-2-1 while wearing them this year.
- Patric Hornqvist has 12pts (3G-9A) in his last 10 games at CEC and enters tonight on a three-game point streak.
- Phil Kessel has surpassed the 200 shot plateau on the season, the eighth time doing so in his career. Kessel also has 9 points in his last 11 games.
- Marc-Andre Fleury is rolling right now, going 11-3-1 with 3 shutouts in his last 15 starts.
#AskBigDave
From Adam R. on the Tweety: "What do you think happens to Jeff Zatkoff after this season? It's looking like Matt Murray will be in the NHL from now on."
Well Adam, I am positive that we have likely seen the end of Jeff Zatkoff in a Penguin sweater. Matt Murray is a bonafide NHL goaltender. He is a backup at the moment, but he will be an NHL starter before too long. If I had to make a guess, he will be the Penguins starter by 2019, 2020.
As for Jeff Zatkoff, he is done. The only reason he wasn't moved at the deadline was in the off chance Fleury or Murray were hurt down the stretch and he needed to serve as the backup. He will not be the Penguins backup next season and I don't expect him to be in the organization past July 1st this summer. Murray and Fleury are your goaltenders, Zatkoff is history.
From Nick B. on the Tweety: "Do you think for next season the Pens should consider finding guys like Tom Wilson who can hit and has some skill?"
Nick, my answer to that question is absolutely. If Tuesday night was any evidence to what the Penguins can expect from fellow Metro teams down the stretch and from anyone in the playoffs, its that the Penguins will be hit, often and hard by their opposition. While I do like the Penguins makeup right now, a good mix of speed and skill, I would love if the Penguins had someone who could lay the boom every now and then.
We were spoiled for many years by having the likes of Pascal Dupuis, Matt Cooke, Ryan Malone, Jordan Staal, etc. in the lineup. These guys were all known for taking the body but had hands to score big goals. The Capitals are a team that has similar guys to those named here. Tom Wilson, Jason Chimera, even Alex Ovechkin, are all guys who can score but who will hit guys at every turn.
The Penguins need a couple guys who will do this. Chris Kunitz does it occasionally, but its getting less and less frequent these days. While I think Tom Wilson is an asshat, and I wholeheartedly believe that, the Pens do need a guy like him who has a mix of speed, grit and hands. I don't know who they could go and get, but I wouldn't be opposed to having a guy or two like that.
From "Crazy4Pens" on the Tweety: "Pens seem to lose their cool with physical play. Wasn't bad last night, but showed it's head. Think Mike Sullivan can solve it?"
I wouldn't go as far as saying the Penguins lose their cools when playing a physical game. It tends to happen against the Flyers, but who wouldn't want to beat the living hell out of those guys. If you're talking about Tuesday, I don't think the Pens lost their cool against Washington.
If there is one guy who tends to lose his cool, and often, it is Kris Letang. I really like the things Letang brings to this team, but he does some really stupid stuff as well. One of his biggest faults is his temper and running his mouth. Letang gets called for a lot of penalties, and on nearly every one he runs his mouth to the referees. This not only causes more penalties against the Penguins and Letang, but it also results in penalties not be called against the opponents. Letang is the one Penguin that could change things by simply keeping his mouth shut.
Otherwise, the Pens for the most part keep their cools. Now, you ask whether Mike Sullivan can solve this. Yes, I think he can. In fact, I think he's already done a really good job of controlling these guys. Penalties seem to be down while earlier in the year the Pens were taking penalties constantly. I like the way Sullivan runs this bench and this team. I'd like to see him work with Letang further to cool him down.
From Cindy on the Tweety: "Hey, what do you see happening if the Pens miss the playoffs?"
Well Cindy, lets hope this is not a scenario we have to encounter. I honestly think the Penguins will make the playoffs. Unless they really struggle down the stretch, I think they'll make it in as the 8th seed at the very least.
But for conversation's sake, lets say the Penguins DO mis the playoffs. What happens then?
I think if this occurs then Jim Rutherford will be asked to step down as Penguins GM. I don't know if he is really the fall guy for this season, but seeing as they fired the coach mid-year, and they won't fire Sullivan, then Rutherford is the fall guy. I personally like what Rutherford has done overall, but his tenure was supposed to be temporary anyway and Jason Botterill is more than capable as taking over full time. So I think Rutherford will be the first one gone.
As for the coaching staff, I think Sullivan will definitely stay, but I think Rick Tocchet should be let go. Tocchet is here to coach the forwards and the PP, but let's face it, he's only still here because he's Lemieux's friend. He has not done his job effectively enough in my opinion, and he should be the odd-man out off the bench.
Following that, you have to go take a look at the roster. Chris Kunitz will be in the final year of his deal at 36-37 years old. He's past his prime already and the time to cut the cord is this summer, whether they make the playoffs or not. With him gone, you free up nearly 4 million dollars in cap room. From there, I think you look to add to the defense. Letang and Maatta are your top pair, Daley and Dumoulin probably stay as your second. I don't know what to make of Pouliot overall, but I'd like to have a veteran with him on the bottom pair if the Pens are going to keep him. I don't think Justin Schultz is that guy and I don't think Ben Lovejoy will be back. With Kunitz gone, you will need to add someone to the top six. Beau Bennett is not the answer, so lets throw that suggestion out immediately. I don't think you can trust Rust, Wilson or Sheary up there yet either. What you want is a "Pascal Dupuis" type player to play alongside Sid and Hornqvist. The obvious choice would be Carl Hagelin, but then you need to find someone alongside Geno. I don't know who they could go get, but someone in the Dupuis mold would serve best.
That's all I got for you Cindy for this situation. We will see what happens.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Tom Kuhnhackl - Nick Bonino - Bryan Rust
- Scott Wilson - Matt Cullen - Kevin Porter
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Brian Dumoulin - Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Derrick Pouliot
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Generate Quality Scoring Chances: The Penguins posted a ton of shots against the Rangers in their last matchup, but a lot of those shots came from the perimeter and were knocked down before reaching the King. What I want to see from the Penguins is not just fire from the point and perimeters, but to attempt to breakdown the Rangers defense and get high-quality scoring chances.
3. Win It for the Psyche: The Penguins need this win, not only for the playoff race, but for there own piece of mind. The Rangers are in their heads a little and a win would go a long way. Maybe that is the spark they need for a big run. Go out there, hustle for 60 minutes, and grind out a victory against a hated rival.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Carl Hagelin: Hagelin is playing really good hockey right now. He's been a factor in nearly every game and I'd love to see him be a huge factor tonight against his old team. Hagelin needs to use his speed to breakdown the Ranger defense and get in close on Henrik. If he does that, and looks to shoot not pass, he should get some chances.
3 Tom Kuhnhackl: I really like the way the young German has played for the Penguins the last three weeks. I'd like to see him keep that going tonight. He almost scored against the Rangers last time they were in town, and something tells me that tonight he will make it happen. Kuhnhackl tackles the King tonight.
What to Know for Attending/Watching/Listening
- Puck drop is at 7:00pm with the doors to CEC opening at 6:00pm.
- The Penguins will wear their traditional "Pittsburgh Gold" jerseys tonight.
- Stop by Pens Gear tonight to pick up this year's "St. Patrick's Day" Pens gear.
- “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 http://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.
- Penguins Charity Prize Bags stuffed with Pens gear created exclusively for the Penguins Charity Night on ROOT Sports go on sale starting at 5:45 pm Thursday night. Visit pittsburghpenguins.com/charitybags to view the full list of limited edition items, which includes a Penguins Backpack embroidered with the “Pittsburgh Gold” logo, the Tradition Series Bobblehead Set of four (4) player bobbleheads from the 1991 Stanley Cup Championship team, two (2) signed pucks, a Penguins mobile Bluetooth speaker, a Penguins journal and much, much more.
- Each Black Backpack ($250) includes the chance to win a signed jersey. Or, guarantee a signed jersey by purchasing a Gold Backpack ($1,000). Jerseys are selected at random from the following: Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang.
- Fans can order Black and Gold Backpacks online starting at 5:45 pm. Additionally, 400 Black Backpacks will be available for purchase inside the Trib Total Media Gate on Thursday night. All proceeds benefit the Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation and the Mario Lemieux Foundation.
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 Mario's in Shadyside: 25pts
- Miller Lite Nite at the Rivers Casino: 25pts
- Miller Lite Nite at Double Wide Grill in Irwin: 25pts