We are still looking for the first of sixteen after one game. There was a lot of good things to take from the Game 1 loss to the Rangers, but we still need to get that first win.
Tonight, the Pens will get that chance again. It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh and the Penguins are looking to even things up at MSG. Puck drop is 8pm tonight, but the Pregame begins right now!
Tonight's game day song comes from the band Young the Giant. Their song, "Cough Syrup." Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
There are a lot of good things to take away from Game 1 despite it resulting in a loss. These were a few things I liked:
The Pens defense, which was playing two rookies, were strong. They gave up two goals in the first, one on the man advantage. After that, they shut the door on the Rags.
Fleury was great. The first goal was weak, but the remaining 59 minutes was as strong as we've seen Flower in a playoff game since his back-to-back shutouts of the Rangers last spring.
The role players showed up. Lapierre played his finest game in black and gold. Brandon Sutter generated several chances. Blake Comeau got the only goal. As a whole, the bottom six guys played a great game.
One thing I would like to see the Pens at least try tonight is Sutter with Malkin again. That line with Dupuis worked great the opening month of the season and that's the best hockey the Pens played. Id like to see the Pens go with 14-87-72, 39-16-71 at least for a little while. If it gets Malkin and Crosby scoring, then why not try it?
There was a lot of good Thursday night. If anything, they proved that they will not get run over like so many thought entering the playoffs. This team controlled the flow of the game for the final 40 minutes, and if they continue to do that throughout this series, they may very well suprise a lot of people, including the Rangers.
Riding High On Broadway
Despite a sluggish start to the 2014-15 season, the Rangers have run past the rest of the Metropolitan division. They finished the season at 53-22-7, good for 113 points, the Metropolitan division title, the best record in the East and the best record in the National Hockey League. Not bad for a team that looked absolutely horrid in October and November.
There have been several reasons for the Rangers success this year. Firstly, they have performed well at home. The Rangers were 25-11-5 at MSG. Secondly, they have had resurgence from stars of the past. Rick Nash finally lived up to the hype from Columbus, scoring 42 goals and leading the team with points. Likewise, Marc Staal returned to form as a top-4 defenseman, skating over 21 minutes a night and putting up 20 points. Lastly, the Rangers have gotten great production out of role players, namely Derick Brassard, Chris Kreider and Cam Talbot. Brassard had a breakout season and worked his way to the top line with 41 assists and 60 points. Kreider showed he has a solid all-around game as both a physical forward and a scorer. Perhaps the biggest piece has been backup netminder Cam Talbot. Talbot went 21-9-4 with a 2.21 goals against average and five shutouts while starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist recovered from a puck to the net. Talbot could be considered the savior of this team, not just because of the stats, but the fact he replaced arguably the world’s best goaltender during the most vital stretch of the season.
It’s hard to believe that a team that went to the Stanley Cup Final could get any better than they did, especially with the offseason subtractions. This team has gotten better. They have gotten more well rounded, more deep. They do not have the huge stars like Chicago or Pittsburgh, but they have the right pieces to make a run. The Rangers are the team to beat in the East, the Pens will have their work cut out for them.
Rangers By The Numbers:
- 53-22-7 overall record
- 25-11-5 at Madison Square Garden
- Winners of the Metropolitan Division and the President’s Trophy.
- 7-3-0 in their last 10 games coming into the playoffs.
- 3-0-1 this season against Pittsburgh, and arguably should have been 4-0-0.
Scoring Leaders:
1. Rick Nash 69 points (42G-27A)
2. Derick Brassard 60 points (19G-41A)
3. Derek Stepan 55 points (16G-39A)
4. Marty St. Louis 52 points (21G-31A)
5. Mats Zuccarello 49 points (15G-34A)
Tale of Two Goaltenders
- Despite missing extended time after taking a puck to the neck, Henrik Lundqvist posted another Vezina-worthy season. On the year, Lundqvist went 30-13-3, had a 2.25 goals against average, a .922 save percentage and had five shutouts.
- Backup netminder Cam Talbot had a career year while filling in for Lundqvist. His 21-9-4 record is the best of his career. He also posted a 2.21 goals against average and had five shutouts.
Projected Lines for the Rangers:
1. Rick Nash – Derick Brassard – Mats Zuccarello
2. Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – J.T. Miller
3. Carl Hagelin – Kevin Hayes – Marty St. Louis
4. Tanner Glass – Dominic Moore – Jesper Fast
Projected Defensive Pairs for the Rangers:
1. Ryan McDonagh – Dan Girardi
2. Dan Boyle – Marc Staal
3. Keith Yandle – Matt Hunwick
Henrik Lundqvist will get the start in net tonight.
News & Notes Around the Pens
A couple numbers you should know about for tonight:
- The Pens were very good in the faceoff circle in Game 1. Crosby was 15 for 20 and Lapierre 9 for 15.
- Nick Spaling assisted on the lone Pens goal Thursday. That assist gives him 10 career post season points (2G-8A) and his first as a Penguin.
- The Pens are 33-24 all-time in Game 2s.
- Defenseman Ian Cole had another great game Thursday. He set a career high in playoff ice time with 26:04 and he led the team with 6 shots.
- Blake Comeau scored his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal Thursday in his seventh career SCP game.
The Pens will be without Christian Ehrhoff and Derrick Pouliot again tonight. They are still listed as day-to-day.
Big Dave's Bracket Breakdown
I wanted to include this section Thursday night, but there was already so much for you. So, I saved it for tonight.
This is the most interesting Stanley Cup Playoff season in several years. I would not have believed that the Jets, Canucks, Flames and Senators would be here. I wouldn't have believed the Kings, Bruins and Stars wouldn't be here. It was an interesting season that led to a great setup for the spring.
So, without further adieu, here are my thoughts on the other seven first round matchups:
Caps/Isles: this is a great matchup that sets up for a ton of scoring (and it has through the first two games). Both teams have dynamic scorers and above average net minders. Both teams have a lot of speed, and both play a physical game. Whoever comes out of this series will be worse for wear. Ultimately, I think it comes down to which superstar puts up more points, and I thknk Ovechkin and Backstrom will post more than Tavares and Okposo. I have CAPITALSin seven.
Sens/Habs: A series with a goaltender like Carey Price and a sub-par team on paper in the Sens should be easily decided, but I don't think that is the case here. The Sens are the hottest team in hockey coming into this series and they have a lot to play for with the death of assistant coach Mark Reed earlier in the week. I like Price, but I think the Sens will want it more. SENS in seven.
Wings/Lightning: This is a tough series to pick. The Red Wings have three of the best playoff performers in the last decade in Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Kronwall. But I don't like the goalie situation and I think that their scoring depth is suspect. The Lightning on the other hand are one of the deepest teams in the league. They have arguably the third best player in the world in Steven Stamkos and the best defensive corps the team has had since their Cup win on 2004. I think the Lightning are just better overall. LIGHTNING in six.
Ducks/Jets: A lot of people seem to think this will be the tightest series in the West, but I disagree. The Jets are good, but I still don't trust Pavlec. The Ducks have been there before and they are a deeper team with Ryan Kesler. It's an easy one in my eyes. DUCKS in six.
Flames/Canucks: This is gonna be the best series in the West. Both teams have no business being here, but played a hell of a good year to surprise the world. The Canucks have more experience, but the Flames play with a reckless, youthful abandon that we saw from the Pens in 2008. I don't see Cup finals in the future, but I see a first round win. FLAMES in seven.
Hawks/Preds: Had Patty Kane not made it back, Id give you a different answer than I will give you now. The Hawks still have the better team and the experience. With their kryptonite in the Kings sitting home, I don't see anyone stopping the Hawks from being in the Cup finals again. Preds give them a run, but Hawks win. HAWKS in six.
Wild/Blues: this is a tough one to pick. I like the makeup of the Blues and the way they play, but their goaltending is suspect. The Wild are riding the hot goalie, but I still don't think they score enough. The problem is, can the Blues who struggle to score score more? I think so, but man it'll be close. BLUES in seven.
Projected Lines & Pairs
Lines:
- Daniel Winnik - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - David Perron
- Beau Bennett - Brandon Sutter - Steve Downie
- Nick Spaling - Max Lapierre - Blake Comeau
Pairs:
- Paul Martin - Ben Lovejoy
- Rob Scuderi - Ian Cole
- Taylor Chorney - Brian Dumoulin
Power Plays:
- Paul Martin, Evgeni Malkin, David Perron, Sidney Crosby, Patric Hornqvist
- Ian Cole, Taylor Chorney, Brandon Sutter, Chris Kunitz, Steve Downie.
Marc-Andre Fleury will start in net.
My 3 Keys to the Game
1. Harassing Lundqvist: The Pens gained the most success Thursday night when they got in King Henry's face and made him uncomfortable. That's how Comeau scored, and that's how they will win tonight. Each line needs a Hornqvist mentality of being a bulldog in front of Lundqvist. If the Pens do that, they should win.
2. Control the Flow: Whoever controlled the flow on Thursday was successful. The Rangers with two goals in the first took advantage, but the Pens controlled the flow the last 40 minutes and almost stole it. It's impossible to control the game for all 60 minutes, but the Pens need to control as much of the game as they can and avoid the big mistakes when the don't.
3. Role Players: this was the case Thursday as well and it did the Pens justice. Sutter, Lapierre, Comeau, Spaling, Winnik were all good. If they can be good again, and add a few more goals like the other night, Pens win this game.
My 3 Players to Watch
1. Evgeni Malkin. He's playing through injury, but he played well in game one. The Pens need their stars to score, and at this point I trust Malkin more to absolutely dominate. He will need to tonight to send this game back to the Burgh evened up.
2. David Perron. Besides the idiotic penalty in game one, Perron played well. His ability to chirp is a big help for this team and we know he possesses the scoring touch. He just needs one to get going. If he does, that should be good for the Pens.
3. Ian Cole. Played a SCP career high on Thursday and has been one of the Pens best players since the deadline. I love the way he handles the puck and especially love the way he shoots. He led the team in shots Thursday and Id like to see more of that tonight.
My Final Thoughts
The game is only on the national telecast tonight in NBC at 8pm. Doc Emrick will have the call along with Pierre (sigh).
I will be tweeting throughout the game tonight over on the twitter page (@BigDPensPregame). John should be on the facebook page during the game.
Id like to thank you all for tuning in for the Pregame. I hope you enjoyed it. Everyone keep calm and above all, believe in our boys! Remember...