Good evening Penguins fans and welcome to the latest edition of the Big Dave's Pens Pregame! Glad to have you aboard for another night of Pittsburgh Penguin hockey. Tonight, our boys head to the Nation's Capitol to begin the second round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the reigning President's Trophy winners, the Washington Capitals.
Puck drops on the action tonight at 8:00pm, but the Pregame is live now...
@pensfan2259 continues to pick the winning songs for my "Big Dave's Gameday Jam," so he can keep picking until he loses. Today, he goes with another early 90's classic. It brings together metal and rap and it truly is one hell of a good song. I remember hearing hit for the first time when I was about 10 years old playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. You know it, you love it, it's Anthrax and Public Enemy, "Bring the Noise!" Enjoy!
The State of the Penguins
I don't want to speak too soon, but doesn't this all feel eerily reminiscent of the spring of 2009? The Penguins made a coaching change mid-way through the year, finished the season strong, took down a division foe in the first round then played Washington in the second round. Sound familiar? It certainly should.
Whether this is another spring of destiny for the Pittsburgh Penguins or not, there is no taking away from them the way they handled the New York Rangers in the first round to get to this point. The Penguins entered the series on a phenomenal run. However, they had questions to whether they would have Marc-Andre Fleury or Matt Murray back in time to play in the series. Would Evgeni Malkin come back and to what affect? Could the Penguins win with Jeff Zatkoff, or Matt Murray for that matter, in net against the Rangers and Henrik Lundqvist?
Simply put, yes to almost every one of those questions.
Jeff Zatkoff took Game One in the series before dropping Game Two; and through little fault of his own in the loss. Matt Murray returned for Game Three after suffering a concussion in the season finale, and would only go on to win three straight games and shutout the Rangers in Game Four. Evgeni Malkin returned and, after a sluggish first two games, exploded for four points in the Penguins Game Four win.
Elsewhere, the Penguins got simply outstanding play up-and-down the lineup. Sidney Crosby led the team with eight points in the series. Rookies Bryan Rust, Tom Kuhnhackl and Conor Sheary each posted three points, including some huge goals. And 39-year-old veteran Matt Cullen added three points of his own in the series. Other big names like Letang, Bonino and Hornqvist were all very good as well.
Now, the Penguins look to repeat the same feat they did in 2009. They will travel to Washington tonight to face the Capitals in the first of two games of the second round. In 2009, it was a shootout between the likes of Alex Ovechkin and our own, Sidney Crosby. Will history repeat itself once again?...
Hail to the Chiefs: The Washington Capitals
That's my horrible attempt at typing out "Hail to the Chief."
Anyway, the Washington Capitals ran away with the regular season. They had an enormous first half where they went into the All-Star Break with only eleven losses or so, then continued to cruise through the regular season en route to the franchise's second President's Trophy. Throughout NHL history, the season a team wins its franchise's second President's Trophy has always yielded a Stanley Cup as well. The Capitals certainly have the talent, but will they be able to continue the historical trend?
The Capitals entered the first round with hopes of making it a quick and easy series against the Flyers. They got off to great start at it as well, winning the first three games of the series. But the Flyers fought back, taking the next two games before falling in a 1-0 game in Game Six. The Capitals advanced.
The overall play of Washington in the series was not outstanding. The Caps only averaged 2.33 goals per game in the series v. Philadelphia, which is pretty low for an opponent that made numerous goalie changes and has a below-average defensive corps.
What saved the Capitals in this series was the play of goaltender Braden Holtby. The regular season wins leader posted a 0.84 GAA, .968 save percentage and two shutouts in the six game series against Philadelphia. Holtby was on his game, the Penguins will need to work their speed and net-front magic to try to get him off that run.
Offensively, the Caps were paced by Nicklas Backstrom, who had seven points in the series. D John Carlson and LW Marcus Johansson eached added six points, while Alex Ovechkin scored three goals and five points in the six games against Philly. Regular season points leader Evgeny Kuznetsov was quiet, scoring just one goal in the series and the bottom six didn't do much in the way of scoring in the series either.
Now, the Capitals find themselves in the second round of the playoffs. They have yet to advance further than this with Alex Ovechkin on the roster, and they will face an old foe that has kept them from the promise land before. Will this year bring a change in history or will this turn out to be another lost season in the Nation's Capitol?
Regular Season Numbers on Washington:
- 56-18-8 record on the season, good for 120 points.
- The Capitals won the President's Trophy, posting 11 more points than the Dallas Stars to earn the trophy.
- Washington was a plus-59 in goal differential this season.
- The Verizon Center was good to the home team, as the Caps went 29-8-4 at home.
- C Evgeny Kuznetsov led the team in scoring, with 20 goals and 77 points in 82 games this season.
- G Braden Holtby tied a regular season record with 48 wins, while adding a 2.20 GAA, a .922 save percentage and three shutouts in 66 games.
- The Capitals won their first round series v. Philadelphia in six games.
Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- C Nicklas Backstrom - 7pts (2G-5A)
- D John Carlson - 6pts (3G-3A)
- LW Marcus Johansson - 6pts (1G-5A)
- LW Alex Ovechkin - 5pts (3G-2A)
- RW TJ Oshie - 4pts (1G-3A)
Injury Report:
- D Brooks Orpik (upper-body) is a game-time decision tonight. Orpik was knocked out of the Flyers series in Game Three after a high, dangerous hit from Ryan White. Orpik has resumed skating and practiced fully the last two days with contact. He probably will be in the lineup tonight.
Projected Lines:
- Alex Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - TJ Oshie
- Andre Burakovsky - Evgeny Kuznetsov - Justin Williams
- Jason Chimera - Mike Richards - Marcus Johansson
- Daniel Winnik - Jay Beagle - Tom Wilson
Projected Pairs:
- Karl Alzner - Matt Niskanen
- Nate Schmidt - John Carlson
- Dmitri Orlov - Brooks Oprik
Braden Holtby is expected to start in net tonight.
News & Notes From Around the Penguins
- G Marc-Andre Fleury returned to practice this week, but admitted he had suffered a setback. Fleury has been out since late March with a concussion suffered v. Nashville. Fleury is not expected to play in the next two games.
- F Conor Sheary (undisclosed) is a game-time decision tonight. Sheary hasn't practiced the last three days, which begs to question what the issue is. I doubt he sits, but it is a possibility.
- F Beau Bennett (upper-body) status is unknown for tonight. He has practiced the last few days, but no updates have been announced.
Transaction Report:
- Pens have signed D Lukas Bengtsson to a 2-year, entry level contract on Wednesday. More on Bengtsson and his signing below.
Pens/Caps Notes:
- The Penguins won the regular season series this year, going 3-2-0 in the five games.
- Pittsburgh was 1-1-0 at the Verizon Center this year.
- C Matt Cullen, C Sidney Crosby and LW Tom Kuhnhackl led the Penguins in regular season scoring v. Washington with four points each.
- Matt Murray went 1-1-0 with a 2.94 GAA against Washington in the regular season.
Miscellaneous Notes:
- The Penguins have won 12 of their last 14 games and 18 of their last 21 overall.
- Sixteen of the Penguins 20 skaters scored a point in their Round 1 series win.
- The Pens scored a power play goal in all five games of the first round.
- G Matt Murray went 3-0, with 4 goals allowed, a .955 save percentage and a shutout in three games v. NY Rangers in the first round.
- C Sidney Crosby has a three-game point streak entering tonight.
- D Kris Letang has a three-game point streak entering tonight.
- C Evgeni Malkin has a four-game assist streak entering tonight.
Penguins Playoff Scoring Leaders:
- C Sidney Crosby - 8pts (3G-5A)
- C Evgeni Malkin - 7pts (2G-5A)
- RW Phil Kessel - 6pts (3G-3A)
- D Kris Letang - 5pts (1G-4A)
- RW Patric Hornqvist - 5pts (3G-2A)
- C Nick Bonino - 5pts (5A)
Pens Add Defensive Depth with Bengtsson
The 22-year-old Bengtsson had a career year at Sweden's highest level. He scored seven goals and fourteen points in 30 games for Frolunda, and was a key piece on the blue line in the club run to the Swedish Elite League Championship. In twelve playoff games, he scored two goals and seven points.
Bengtsson played for Mora IK of Sweden's second division for two seasons before joining Frolunda. He also earned a silver medal at the 2014 World Junior Championships while playing for Sweden alongside current Penguins center Oskar Sundqvist.
The following is the scouting report by Erik K. Piri on EliteProspects.com: "Bengtsson is a defenseman who stands out with his terrific skating ability and offensive instincts. Owns excellent acceleration and agility, allowing him to rush the puck up the ice. Of below-average size, he still protects the puck well when skating. Manning the point on the powerplay, he has a great one-timer and quick decision-making ability. Always gets back defensively, but could certainly improve his overall game, given his hockey smarts."
It will be interesting to see how Bengtsson adjusts to the North American game. The best thing is he is only 22, so he has plenty of time to develop in the North American game. I see him joining Wilkes-Barre, even as soon as this playoff run before playing there full-time next season. With the current Penguins configuration on the blue line, I don't see him cracking the Pens lineup unless injury necessitates it. I see him in WBS full time next season and maybe competing for a spot in 2017-18.
#AskBigDave
Dustin, even with the way the Penguins played the last two months and in the first round, the Capitals will still be the favorite at the start of this series.
The Capitals won the President's Trophy, are the number one seed in the East and they made it through the first round. So they will still be considered the favorites on those facts alone. Now, they didn't play poorly in the first round, but it could have been a lot uglier if Braden Holtby wasn't so on top of his game. The Capitals are still a dangerous team and they could win this series against the Penguins.
Now, the Penguins have played some outstanding hockey of late. The way they dismantled the Rangers in the opening series bodes well for the remainder of their playoff run. I personally like the Penguins chances in this series, especially if they can do what they did to the Caps in their last couple meeting.
But for now Dustin, the Capitals will remain the favorites, but I have the Pens winning in seven.
From Bryce R. on Twitter: "How long is Conor Sheary under contract for the pens and is he worth holding onto long-term?"
Bryce, Conor Sheary is under contract for the remainder of this season and the 2016-17 season. At season's end next year, he will be a restricted free agent.
I love the way Conor Sheary has played. He has so much confidence right now and he has really found a niche with the likes of Crosby on the top line. He has the hands to score, but more importantly he has the legs and the drive to extend plays and makes things happen even when he doesn't have the puck. I want to see him keep this up down the road, especially in this current playoff run.
Now, would I sign him long-term? I think we need to wait and see what he does in a full season next year, but I would certainly consider signing him to a long-term deal at the right price. He is currently only making 575k per year, so unless he has a monstrous year in 2016-17, he could probably be signed for around a million dollars for a few seasons.
So for now Bryce, I think we have to wait and see, but I would definitely entertain signing him long term if he keeps it up over a full season.
From Nick B. on Twitter: "With the emergence of Murray should the pens pursue trade options for Fleury next season? Or wait a few seasons?"
Ahhhhh Nick, this is going to continuously be discussed until Murray hits a wall, or one of them is actually moved. My stance on this right now is the Penguins should NOT trade Marc-Andre Fleury this offseason and probably not next year either. If Fleury is going to go anywhere, it would be in his last year of his deal or as a UFA after his contract expires.
I believe Matt Murray is the real deal. I think he is a legit number one goaltender and the future in the crease of the Penguins. That being said, Marc-Andre Fleury, when healthy, is this team's number one goaltender now and next year. He is so vital to that room and that team, that taking him away would certainly hurt the Penguins morale. I wouldn't mess with that unless absolutely necessary, and if this trade season proved anything, GMJR doesn't like giving up goalies because you can never have too many.
So Nick, I think Murray and Fleury stay for the remainder of this year, next and possibly even the year after that. From that point on, it will be interesting to see what the Penguins do at that point. I think Murray takes over and Fleury moves on.
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:
- Olli Maatta - Kris Letang
- Brian Dumoulin - Trevor Daley
- Ian Cole - Ben Lovejoy
Matt Murray should be between the pipes again tonight.
My 3 Keys to the Game
2. Shut Down Ovi: The Penguins held the Russian superstar off the score sheet in all five regular season games. That is absolutely huge and they need to keep that going. The Capitals are a deeper team than just Alex Ovechkin, but keeping him off the scoresheet certainly doesn't hurt in a quest to win a game. Keep Ovi quiet and the Pens have a great chance to win.
3. Unnerve Holtby: Braden Holtby had a huge first round, allowing just 0.84 goals against to Philadelphia. The Flyers aren't as dangerous as the Penguins, but Holtby isn't struggling right now like Lundqvist was. The Penguins need to use their speed to get around the Capitals defense. From their, they need to make sure they get bodies to the net and make Holtby uncomfortable in his own crease. If the Penguins do that, they can score in bunches like they did v. New York.
My 3 Penguins to Watch
2. Evgeni Malkin: Geno didn't look good the first two games of the series. He looked really good the last two. I expect Malkin to only get better as he gets more skating time and practice in the Sullivan system. Historically, Washington is a team he has great numbers against and I would expect him to keep those trends going.
3. Matt Murray: Murray was outstanding in the first round. He is calm, cool and collected and gives the Penguins the ability to play their game. Like Malkin and Crosby, Murray needs to continue to play to this high level. I don't expect him to be flawless, but I think he has the ability and the confidence in his game right now to keep up with his counterpart, Braden Holtby.
What to Know for Watching/Listening
- The game is NATIONALLY televised on NBCSN at 8:00pm tonight.
- Coverage should begin at 7:00pm on NBCSN with pregame coverage.
- ROOT Sports coverage is over for the season.
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 8:00pm.
- Penguins Pregame will precede the game coverage at 7:00pm. Josh Getzoff will host.
- Penguins Hot Line will follow the game action.
Pens Points:
- Pens Radio Keyword: 5pts