Good Thursday my friends and welcome to the latest edition of Big Dave's Pens Pregame. Glad to have you aboard for another fun night of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. Tonight, our boys continue their series under the bright lights of Gotham as they take on the New York Rangers once again.
Puck drops on the action tonight in MSG at 7:00pm tonight, but you can enjoy the Pregame starting now...
It appears that @pensfan2259 wants to take over the "Big Dave's Gameday Jam" section as he has requested another song for this playoff series. He educated me on this song a few weeks back while watching a game at his house, and now, it finds its way into the Pregame for the first time. I think you'll like it. It is Shinedown's "Enemies." If you like it, thank @pensfan2259. If you hate it, blame him and only him hahahaha. Cheers!
The State of the Penguins
The Penguins took control of the series Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden when they ground out a 3-1 victory over a reinforced Rangers team. Pittsburgh got stronger as this game went on and earned the victory for sure. Goals came from Sidney Crosby, Matt Cullen and Kris Letang.
I think most important aspect about this game was the Penguins got back to their style of play. They were tough on the forecheck, chipped and chased and used their speed to wear down the Rangers. The line combinations seemed to work as well, with Malkin skating with Fehr and Kunitz the majority of the last two periods and Conor Sheary moving up to play with Sidney Crosby. The Rust-Cullen-Kuhnhackl line was outstanding at both ends of the ice all night.
Also, I shouldn't fail to mention that a big reason for the Pens playing their way was the return of Matt Murray in net. While the team tries to insulate Zatkoff, they are confident enough in Murray to take chances. This often leads to sustained possession and limited shots on their own net. On this night, Matt Murray was in great form and stoned all but one of the seventeen shots he faced.
Now, the Penguins own a two-to-one lead in the series. They enter tonight's game with a good chance to sweep the two game trip to New York and return home on Saturday with an opportunity to end the series in just five games. It won't be easy, and the Rangers will not step aside either. The Penguins will need to grind out two more wins, just as they did Tuesday in New York. Can they do it? I certainly think so...
Down, but Not Out: The new York Rangers
Don't for a second think that the Rangers gave that game away, as they did in Game One. No, the Rangers played well enough to earn a victory on Tuesday, and that is a fact to remember heading into tonight's Game Four.
What we saw from New York on Tuesday was their prototypical style of playoff hockey. They were physical; outhitting the Penguins 41 to 30. While the physicality isn't as important as it once was in the game, it still has an impact on the opponent. Next, they got timely scoring. Rick Nash scored his first career playoff shorty in the second period to put the Rangers on the board first. Finally, they played incredibly well defensively, especially in the shot blocking department. The Rangers were only credited with blocking 19 shots, but it appeared to me they blocked for more than that over the course of the game.
This is how the Rangers play in the post season, and this is how they have had the level of success they have over the last few season. I would expect no different from them tonight.
Tonight, the Rangers will enter this game with a chip on their shoulders and an axe to grind. They played well enough to win, and weren't rewarded with a W. Tonight, I expect them to come out strong early and try to pot a couple early goals before the Penguins know what hit them. If Pittsburgh is smart, they come out strong and prevent such a start from even beginning...
Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- LW Rick Nash - 3pts (1G-2A)
- C Derick Brassard - 3pts (1G-2A)
- C JT Miller - 3pts (3A)
- C Derek Stepan - 2pts (2G)
- RW Mats Zuccarello - 2pts (1G-1A)
Injury Report:
- D Dan Girardi (undisclosed) is likely OUT tonight. The veteran defenseman has struggled this year and hasn't played often over the last few weeks with various injuries. There is no timetable for his return at this point.
Projected Lines:
- Chris Kreider - Derek Stepan - Rick Nash
- JT Miller - Derick Brassard - Mats Zuccarello
- Eric Staal - Kevin Hayes - Jesper Fast
- Tanner Glass - Dominic Moore - Viktor Stalberg
Projected Pairs:
- Marc Staal - Ryan McDonagh
- Keith Yandle - Kevin Klein
- Brady Skjei - Dan Boyle
Henrik Lundqvist is expected to get the start in net tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- G Marc-Andre Fleury did NOT practice Wednesday and he is NOT expected to play tonight. The Pens haven't announced if he has suffered a setback, but him sitting Wednesday when the whole team practice is alarming.
- F Beau Bennett (upper-body) is not expected to play tonight.
Transaction Report:
- Pens have re-assigned G Tristan Jarry to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Jarry served as backup in Games 1 and 2, but never saw any game action. He will resume starting duties for the Baby Pens as they enter their first round matchup v. Providence this weekend.
- Pens have assigned F Daniel Sprong to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Sprong scored 46 points in 33 games for the QMJHL's Charlottetown team this spring, and now will return to professional play at the AHL level. He will likely suit up this weekend for the Baby Pens playoff games.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The Penguins have won 16 of their last 25 games at Madison Square Garden (playoff and regular season).
- C Sidney Crosby scored his 45th career Stanley Cup Playoff goal on Tuesday night.
- G Matt Murray made his first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance and earned his first playoff win on Tuesday.
- RW Phil Kessel is the only player to record a point in each game of this series.
- D Kris Letang's empty netter on Tuesday now gives him the franchise lead for playoff goals by a defenseman with 16. He ranks fourth among active defensemen in playoff goals, trailing only Brent Seabrook (20), Duncan Keith (18) and Dan Boyle (17).
#AskBigDave
Dawn, I personally don't like the idea of straight 1 through 16 playing each other. It takes away from the East/West thing and I am not ready to give that up. I want the East to play the East until the Cup Finals and same for the West. It's just how it is supposed to be.
Now, having said that, I am not really a fan of this current playoff format. I understand that they NHL was hoping to have at least two rounds of divisional rivalries in the playoffs, but the format is kind of stale and boring at this point. I don't want to play the Rangers every year in the first or second round just because the NHL gets its jollies off at the idea. It's really rather predictable and boring. I'd prefer to see the top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs, seeded by points and be done with it. I think you still end up with the divisional rivalries throughout and it is a more fair system for everyone who qualifies.
From Tyler M. on Twitter: "If you had a choice to trade Malkin over the offseason, who would you trade him for?"
To be completely honest with you Tyler, I would never trade Malkin. I am not a Geno fanboy or anything, but I just feel like you would never get enough return in any deal you try to make for him. Sure, you could get a plethora of first rounders, top prospects and NHL ready players, but you have no guarantee those draft picks pan out, that the top prospects pan out for that matter too and then you're left trying to replace an elite talent with a couple throw in players in a deal. Granted, some throw in players have worked out really well for us, i.e. Pascal Dupuis or Matt Niskanen, but that doesn't happen often and they wouldn't play to the same level as Geno. I always go back to the Wayne Gretzky trade to Edmonton. While they got solid pieces and won one more Cup after the deal, they still have yet to recover from trading one of the greatest players of all time.
Malkin is struggling right now, but lest we forget he really didn't play much over the last three months. He was injured the majority of February and only played a handful of games in March before being knocked out. He may not be one hundred percent either, so he will likely struggle for the time being. But Tyler, I just couldn't trade him in the offseason because you'd never get the return for him.
From Nick B. on the Tweety: "Do you think the Pens should consider letting Malkin sit out until fully recovered? I'm not buying that he's healthy."
It is a valid question to ask Nick, but I don't see the Penguins doing that at this point. I am not one hundred percent convinced that Malkin is completely healthy, but even a relatively healthy Malkin is better than a Tom Sestito or another Wilkes-Barre kid playing a couple minutes a night on the fourth line.
As I mentioned in Tyler's answer, we have to keep in mind that Malkin has not played very much hockey since the All-Star Break. He missed the majority of February with the lower-body issue before just playing a handful of games in March before the incident in Columbus that knocked him out for the rest of the regular season. He is probably a little behind the eight-ball in terms of fitness, but most importantly he hasn't really had a ton of time to adjust and find his fit in the Mike Sullivan system. That takes time and practice hours, something Malkin hasn't had.
I just don't think the Penguins can sit him. Geno, even underperforming Geno, is still a dangerous player even if he only plays 13-14 minutes a night. He needs to get used to this system and find his niche in it. Once he does, look out baby because he's going to tear it up! But for now, no Nick, I am not sitting him.
From Puck Husky on Twitter: "This is looking way in the future, but if the Pens win the Cup this year who wins the Conn Smythe?"
As you say in your question, this is looking wayyyyyy into the future. It is hard to predict who will win the playoff MVP after just three games. The Pens need to actually get to the Conference Finals in my opinion before this question can even begin to have a realistic answer. It just so far away at this point.
If you look at the first three games, you have to look at guys like Letang, Crosby, Kessel, Hornqvist for it. They have played the best for the Penguins so far. But again, it is way to early to predict such an event.
From Reedie on the Tweety: "Thoughts on the Letang incident in Game Three?"
To be completely honest with you, I don't really remember the incident. I remember Stalberg taking a stick up high and getting some repairs on the bench, but I don't remember seeing the actual hit in the game.
Going back and looking at it again, it does appear as though Letang swung the stick at Stalberg's neck. One could argue that it was a result of being tangled up by, I believe, Dominic Moore, but I don't think even I could say that in good conscious. It was a dirty play by Letang and one that should probably have been punished.
This brings up the issues once again with the piss-poor management of the NHL, Player Safety and the Referee corps. The NHL is trying to eliminate fighting and goonism, yet they are not doing enough to eliminate dangerous plays like the Letang one, or ones like the Ryan White hit on Brooks Orpik. To them, that's just good, old fashioned hockey. It's a double-standard and one the league needs to sort out sooner rather than later. Player Safety is a complete joke. Colin Campbell, the man in charge, should be fired for the way he has handled some of the incidents this year and if you have seen the leaked emails of him, he deserves a few whacks to the head with a stick. Might actually knock some common sense into his narrow mind.
The refs are far from free of blame either. They are too concerned with calling stupid interference penalties and hooking infractions, but don't step up and call penalties on the dangerous plays. If this year has shown anything, the refs are getting as incompetent at their jobs as the league is. Its appalling and scary to see what could happen down the road. Does it take someone getting paralyzed or killed for the NHL to change the way they do things? I certainly hope not.
Projected Lines & Pairs
- Conor Sheary - Sidney Crosby - Patric Hornqvist
- Carl Hagelin - Nick Bonino - Phil Kessel
- Chris Kunitz - Evgeni Malkin - Eric Fehr
- Tom Kuhnhackl - Matt Cullen - Bryan Rust
Pairs:
- Trevor Daley - Kris Letang
- Brian Dumoulin - Ben Lovejoy
- Ian Cole - Olli Maatta
Matt Murray should be between the pipes again tonight.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Power Play: Gave up a shorty and scored one on Tuesday. The PP still needs to be better. When they gave up the shorty, though it was more a lucky bounce that sprang Rick Nash on the breakaway, Sid was messing up the formation by being on the right half wall. On the goal, Sid was on the door step to knock home a solid Phil Kessel pass. Sid's positioning is the x-factor in making this power play work, watch for that tonight.
3. Net Front: The Penguins have struggled with this a little bit in the last two games. The Rangers are making it difficult to get to the net, but the Pens aren't doing a ton to make it hard on themselves either. They need to get more of their own traffic in front of Lundqvist and get in his kitchen. It is the way to get him off his game and its the way to score big playoff goals.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Conor Sheary: He was the Pens best forward in Game 3 and it earned him more ice time and a spot alongside Crosby-Hornqvist. Sheary is a younger, faster version of Chris Kunitz. He goes to the dirty areas, he hustles every shift and he tries to make something out of nothing. It is impressive for such a smaller fellow. Tonight, i expect to see his hustle keep plays alive and allow second chance opportunities for the likes of Crosby and company.
3. Matt Murray: I feel a lot more at ease with Murray in net than with Zatkoff. If Tuesday is any indication, this kid was built for playoff hockey. He was really strong all night, cool as a cucumber and really allowed the Pens to play their game. I think we will see more of that tonight and hopefully it will see the Pens go up 3-1 in the series.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- 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 game is NATIONALLY televised on the CNBC at 7:00pm tonight.
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:
- ROOT Sports Pregame Keyword: 5pts
- ROOT Sports Post Game Keyword: 5pts
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts