Good day Penguins fans and welcome to this Sunday edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame show. Glad to have you aboard for yet another matinee game for our Penguins. Today, they head to "The Rock" to face Cory Schneider and the New Jersey Devils.
Puck drops at 5:00pm on Pens/Devils, but the Pregame is available now...
Today's "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" comes from one of my favorite bands of all-time and one of the best ska outfits of the last decade. They hail from the state of New Jersey and put on one of the most fun live shows I have every experienced. They are Streetlight Manifesto and this song comes off their newest album. This song is called "The Hands That Thieve." Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
Yesterday's showing against the struggling Calgary Flames was as disappointing as can be. The Penguins didn't look like a team that needed to take two points. Frankly, they didn't look like a team who cared whether they got any points. It was a lackluster performance and one that could be disastrous for the Penguins playoff hopes.
The Penguins needed two points yesterday, and four points from this weekend. They needed to take advantage of two lowly teams that are currently riding cold streaks. They didn't and if they fall short of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in a decade, they can look back on yesterday's loss as a reason why.
Today's two points are imperative. The Penguins squandered the game yesterday, now they need to take these two points from the Devils. New Jersey is struggling, but they would love nothing more than to play spoilers for the Penguins. And with the Penguins beginning a 9-game stretch of solely Metro Division opponents, these games are all more important than any. These are four-point games now, and the Pens cannot afford to drop too many of them.
Fallin' to Pieces: The New Jersey Devils
That is the current state of the New Jersey Devils. After surprising everyone by being a playoff contender for the first 2/3 of the season, the rebuilding Devils are coming back to earth and watching their playoff chances slowly fade away.
The Devils enter tonight after dropping their last game in Dallas to the Stars 4-2. It was a loss that not only dropped their record over their previous 10 games to 3-7-0, but it also saw them lose their starting netminder and all-star Cory Schneider. The Devils currently sit just 5 points behind the Pens for the final wild card spot, but with their recent run, hopes are not high. And any run will be damn near impossible for the Devils without Schneider in net.
New Jersey was smart in their deadline work as well. GM Ray Shero saw the direction they were headed and decided to sell instead of buy needlessly. He sent the journeyman, but Devils' leading scorer, Lee Stempniak to the Bruins for a 2nd and 4th round draft pick. They then proceeded to swap the underwhelming former first rounder, Stefan Matteau, to Montreal for Devante Smith-Pelly.
The Devils have impressed, but they will look to acquire the pieces necessary over the summer and hope for a better run next season. They will still have several solid, young pieces in place and the will have the ever-improving Cory Schneider in net. 2015-16 was a nice run for the Devils, but it is coming to an end now. The Penguins need to take advantage of the Devils current misfortune and put another nail in the coffin of their season.
What You Need to Know About the Devils:
- 31-28-7 overall record.
- Their 69 points has them tied for 5th in the Metropolitan Division and sitting just 5 points out of the 2nd wild card spot in the East.
- The Devils have struggled mightily of late, going 3-7-0 overall in their last 10 games.
- The Rock has been mediocre this year, as the Devils are just 15-14-4 at the Prudential Center.
Scoring Leaders:
- RW Kyle Palmieri - 43pts (24G-19A)
- C Adam Henrique - 42pts (23G-19A)
- LW Mike Cammalleri - 38pts (14G-24A)
- C Travis Zajac - 33pts (10G-23A)
- D David Schlemko - 19pts (6G-13A)
Injury Report:
- G Cory Schneider (undisclosed) is a game-time decision for today. The All-Star left Friday's game in Dallas with what is believed to be a lower-body issue, but the team hasn't announced.
- LW Mike Cammalleri (upper-body) is OUT today. The veteran winger is dealing with a hand issue and had a set back last week in his recovery. HC John Hynes stated last weekend he isn't close to a return at the present time.
- RW Jiri Tlusy (upper-body) is OUT the remainder of the season. The veteran winger underwent wrist surgery at the end of January that will keep him out 3-4 months.
- LW Patrik Elias (lower-body) is OUT today. The 39-year-old former captain hasn't played a game this season due to a knee injury, but he has finally returned to skating. The Devils haven't announced whether he will play at all this season or not yet.
Projected Lines:
- Reid Boucher - Adam Henrique - Devante Smith-Pelly
- Sergey Kalinin - Travis Zajac - Kyle Palmieri
- Joseph Blandisi - Jacob Josefson - Tyler Kennedy
- Bobby Farnham - Stephen Gionta - Jordin Tootoo
Projected Pairs:
- Andy Greene - Adam Larsson
- John Moore - David Schlemko
- Jon Merrill - Damon Severson
Keith Kinkaid is likely to get the start in net with Schneider missing time on Friday due to injury.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- LW Carl Hagelin (upper-body) is expected to play today. The Swede left the game for a time Saturday after receiving some stitches.
- No updates on F Beau Bennett, C Eric Fehr and D Ben Lovejoy.
Roster Moves:
- Pens have recalled F Tom Sestito from WBS, reassigning Josh Archibald to the Baby Pens to counter.
Pens/Devils Notes:
- Today is the third of four matchups between the Pens and Devils.
- Each game has been a shutout so far, which each side taking a win.
- Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel have the only two Penguin goals in the season series, while Letang, Hornqvist, Hagelin and Pouliot have assists.
- Marc-Andre Fleury has one shutout win.
- Mike Cammalleri leads the Devils in scoring in the season series with a goal and three points. Adam Henrique has two points.
- Cory Schneider earned a shuout win on November 14th.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- F Josh Archibald made his NHL debut yesterday v. Calgary. He is the 7th different Penguin to make his NHL debut this season.
- Patric Hornqvist has a 5-game point streak entering today's game and 30 points over his last 28 games.
- Sidney Crosby has a 4-game point streak entering today.
Statistical Update for the Penguins
Metropolitan Division Standings:
Points Leaders:
Assist Leaders:
Shots Leaders:
Blocked Shots Leaders:
| Wild Card Standing:
Philadelphia Flyers - 71pts Carolina Hurricanes - 69pts New Jersey Devils - 69pts Ottawa Senators - 69pts Montreal Canadiens - 66pts Goal Leaders:
Plus/Minus Leaders:
Average Ice Time Leaders:
Hits Leaders:
|
Projected lines & Pairs
- Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Evgeni Malkin - Phil Kessel
- Scott Wilson - Nick Bonino - Bryan Rust
- Tom Kuhnhackl - Matt Cullen - Tom Sestito
Pairs:
- Kris Letang - Olli Maatta
- Brian Dumoulin - Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Derrick Pouliot
Matt Murray will start in net tonight.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Bottom Six Scoring: The Pens haven't gotten any goals from the bottom six the past two games, but they have played well regardless. I'd like to see them go out and pressure the Devils and chip in a goal or two. It would be absolutely huge for this team not only today, but going forward if they continued to score with regularity.
3. Back-Up M&M: Matt Murray will get the start today and that is completely fine. The Penguins need to make sure they are up to snuff and don't leave him out to dry. He has been stellar in all five games he's played in the NHL, three of those losses could have been easily avoided if he got better play from the guys in front of him.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Matt Murray: M&M gets the start today and I am excited to see him play another big game for the Penguins. This is a must win game and I am confident that he is up to the task again today. The lanky netminder should be able to handle the struggling Devils at this point.
3. Bryan Rust: The kid has been playing too well not to be rewarded with a goal. Rusty has been flying all over the ice the last few games and really providing a spark for the bottom six. I think he has a good day today and pots a goal or two against New Jersey.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- ROOT Sports has the coverage tonight. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey with the call beginning at 5:00pm. Dan Potash will have the interviews.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage beginning at 4:30pm.
- Penguins Post Game will follow the game action.
- 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 5:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage at 4:00pm. Josh Getzoff will host.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action.
Pens Points:
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts