I know I said yesterday I wouldn't have a post game piece on the Arizona game, but a lazy Sunday has me at the keyboard itching to talk hockey. So, here we are and here is my take on the Pens loss to the Coyotes from the View From Where I Sat...
The Game in Review
For the second consecutive game, the Penguins came out completely flat. No urgency. No drive. And that is not only my take, many of the players would admit to it post game. Case and point was the power play the Pens got just two minutes into the game. Stefon Elliot was called for holding at the 1:56 mark on Evgeni Malkin. The Pens took to the power play and generated zip to butkiss. Things did not get much better for them either. They survived the first period thanks in part to the stellar play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury and the bulldog mentality of winger Patric Horqvist, who was causing havoc in front of Yotes goalie Mike Smith. The period ended scoreless, but not for lack of trying on the Coyotes part.
The second period would see the first goal of the Pens season, but also them behind once again. Up-and-coming winger Tobias Reider continued his hot start to the season, scoring his second goal in as many nights when he beat Marc-Andre Fleury at the five minute mark. The Penguins would answer just seventeen seconds later, thanks to the American Sniper. Phil Kessel, you may have heard of him, would take the puck away at center ice and showcase his speed, moves and hands as he gained space to beat Mike Smith with a wicked wrister. It was his first goal as a Penguin and the Pens first of the season. Unfortunately, thanks to the abysmal performance by the refs, the Penguins would give up another goal at the 7:29 mark. The puck was frozen under Fleury but the ref refused to blow the whistle. Instead, the Yotes jabbed away at Flower and got the puck free to score. A goal that should not have happened gave the Yotes the lead for good.
The Pens played much more inspired hockey in the third period. They came out flying and put up eleven shots on Mike Smith in the Arizona goal. Unfortunately, the Pens ran into another unbreakable goaltender. Smith was unbelievable, stopping multiple scoring chances in his crease by Patric Hornqvist and Nick Bonino. Despite the Pens best efforts, they couldn't get a late tying goal. They dropped their second consecutive game of the season 2 to 1.
My 3 Stars
2. Patric Hornqvist: I cannot begin to explain how much I love this guy. He is the one guy you can count on night in and night out to give you everything he's got from the opening puck drop to the final whistle. That was evident tonight. He led the team with 5 shots and created utter chaos for Mike Smith all night. Case in point, Smith continually slashed Horqvist, including an after whistle slash that sent the Swede's stick twenty feet in the air. Hornqvist was a constant target of the Coyotes but never shied away. Be thankful Pens nation that we have this man on our team.
3. Ian Cole: I thought Cole played well on Thursday night and even better tonight. Despite being a minus-one, Cole was outstanding in his own end. He had five blocked shots, played the most shorthanded minutes of any one on the team (4:40) and played 21:03 on the evening. I still believe that Maatta should be on the top pair, but Ian Cole is playing very good hockey. Jason Mackey has written how the Pens hope to turn Cole into the new Paul Martin. From what I've seen these first two games, he is well on his way.
Making the Grade
Olli Maatta (C+): I have to admit, I was disappointed in Maatta. I don't know if he has lost favor with the coaching staff, but I find it absolutely ridiculous that he is only playing 16 minutes a night and seeing little time on the penalty kill. Maatta has the potential to be an elite defenseman, and frankly is better than 6 of the other 7 defenseman on the team. I don't understand why he is being used as little as he is. Regardless, I think he needs to be better in the time he is getting. He wasn't on Saturday night.
Rob Scuderi (C+): Don't shoot the messenger but Scuderi was leaps and bounds better tonight than he was in the opener. In fact, I thought he played quite well. He was third in ice time with 18:59, 3:19 shorthanded and three blocked shots. While he was consistently beat and caught flat foot on Thursday, his feet were more under him last night.
Matt Cullen (C+): I thought Cullen was average. He did little offensively, but that's not saying much. He was very good on the penalty kill and won fifty percent of his faceoffs. Can't ask for much more from the 38-year-old veteran.
Brian Dumoulin (B): I really liked what I saw from the former Boston College prospect. While Dumoulin looked tentative on Thursday, he looked far more confident last night. As a result of his play, his ice time went up considerably and he even saw time on the penalty kill. He had two blocked shots and added two shots on the offensive side of things. I really believe this kid can be something good for the Pens. He just needs to be given a chance to play.
Kevin Porter (C+): Porter was pretty good, but not great. He was solid on the penalty kill, playing 3:30 while shorthanded, but he was a minus-one on the night. He was definitely more noticeable than Bobby Farnham was in the opener, but he still is no Pascal Dupuis or Eric Fehr. Until they return however, I am not against this guy playing on the fourth line and on the kill.
Ben Lovejoy (B-): I actually thought Lovejoy was pretty good last night. He was on the ice for that debacle of a second goal scored by Arizona, but he can't be faulted for that. He played 16:02 and had four hits and three blocked shots on the night. Again, Lovejoy is a solid defenseman that Pens nation is utterly against for the sole reason that they don't like the trade that brought him here. Regardless of those feelings, Lovejoy is a solid defenseman and does a good job when he is placed in a role where he can succeed. Last night was a good example of that.
Nick Bonino (B-): Tonight, I actually noticed this guy. He played really well at both ends of the ice. He had 4:18 of shorthanded time and two blocked shots to boot. Offensively, he had two outstanding scoring chances that were absolutely robbed by Mike Smith. He also led the Pens in faceoff winning percentage, taking 64% of faceoffs. This is more the guy I was expecting. I think he will continue to get better as time goes on as well.
Chris Kunitz (B-): Kunitz was physical once again tonight, leading the team with four hits. He was a plus-one, but was not very affective offensively. While many believe he should no longer be on the top line, I disagree. Kunitz provides the physical and boards play that Crosby requires and his chemistry with the Captain is second to none. Perhaps he is a step slower, but his understanding of his center is better than anyone else.
Beau Bennett (C): I was far from impressed by Bennett last night. He whiffed on one of the Pens best scoring chances in the third period and took another stupid penalty in this game. While he is bigger and more confident throwing his body around, he still isn't living up to the scoring potential we scouted when we drafted him. Perhaps it was a down game, but we've seen far more crummy games from the California native than we've seen good ones.
Ian Cole (A): See above
Daniel Sprong (C+): Where are the #FreeSprong shirts? I know Dejan Kovacevic was getting riled up on Twitter about it last night during the game and it is hard not to disagree with him on the matter. Sprong was one of the Pens best, if not best, performers during the offseason. He was rewarded with a roster spot. However, the reward has been little since. Sprong hasn't played more than 9 minutes a night and has only 6 third period shifts in two games. That is absolutely unacceptable and if I am Mike Johnston, I would be taking a long look in the mirror about this. Anyway, Sprong had a shot and a hit in the game, but because he only saw 7 minutes of ice time, couldn't show off any more ability.
David Perron (C): I was as impressed with Perron last night as I was with Bennett. Frankly, they both stunk. Now before you go saying he is being misplayed in a bottom six role, let me say this. He saw plenty of time on the power play and alongside Malkin last night. What did he do with that time? Not a damn thing. He is saying all the right things in interviews, but he isn't living up to the words. He has been unimpressive in my view.
Kris Letang (A-): Another solid game for Letang. He led the team in ice time with 26:05 and had four blocks in his own end. Offensively, he got off two shots and was solid overall. The power play continues to be a mess, but that can't be put on his shoulders solely.
Sergei Plotnikov (C+): I thought Plotnikov was much better in this game than in the season opener. He was definitely more noticeable, but still did little with the ice time he received. I don't know if he is a top six forward or not. I was convinced he could do it in the preseason, but Malkin looked better in the preseason as well. Now, he has been average at best. I am hoping that when Malkin gets going, so will Plotnikov.
Evgeni Malkin (C+): I was less impressed by Geno tonight than I was in the opener. He took a stupid penalty at the absolute worst time late in the third period, a trait he has gotten far too notorious for. Offensively, he was almost a non-factor as well. He had only one shot and consistently tried to be the hero, leading to turnovers and squashed chances. Plus, he was only 31% in the faceoff circle. Geno was far from superstar status on this night.
Patric Hornqvist (A): See above
Phil Kessel (A): See above
Sidney Crosby (C+): Sid is just as guilty as Geno is of underperforming on this night. He once again failed to register a shot, which is completely unacceptable. I understand he likes to create opportunities for his linemates, but he will be able to create more chances if he starts trying to put the puck in the net himself. That will open up the ice for him to pass to Kessel and Kunitz. Sid was guilty of deferring too much again on this night. A poor opening weekend for the Captain.
Final Takes
- Let me begin the negatives by talking about the officiating. I cannot believe the NHL doesn't see a problem with the way their refs are officiating these games. It is completely ridiculous. I have never seen so many things go uncalled then absolutely dumb things called seconds later. And don't even get me started on the botched non-whistle on the Coyotes second goal. The NHL should be ashamed of it's officiating, but like everything else bad about the league, they are completely oblivious to the fact.
- The power play continues to be an absolute train wreck. While I thought it was smart to split up Sid and Geno on the power play because they often defer too much to each other, I am starting to join the rest of the fan base and call for them to be out there together. 90 seconds of Letang, Malkin, Crosby, Hornqvist and Kessel is far scarier than trying to stop separate power plays with guys that have no business out there on the man advantage. I am flip flopping my previous ingrained stance, but the monster back together and scare the hell out of the opponents PK.
- Player usage by Mike Johnston is absolutely atrocious. Why is Olli Maatta only playing 16 minutes a night? Why is Daniel Sprong only playing 8? And why the hell was Patric Hornqvist only on the ice for 12:28 last night? Are you kidding me? It is absolutely ridiculous, especially in the case of Hornqvist and Sprong. Hornqvist should be on the top power play and playing second line minutes, not playing the minutes of a fourth line grinder. It is nonsensical and a slap in the face to him. Same can be said for Daniel Sprong. Why keep this kid if you're only going to play him 8 minutes a night? He is far more talented than Bennett and Porter, yet he got 3 shifts in the third period. I don't understand the reasoning and obviously, with the two opening results, it isn't working out. Maybe they should play more in the third and the Pens may actually win a damn game.
- The play of Crosby and Malkin needs to improve and immediately. I have no doubt it will, but these two guys have been as impressive as I would be in a beer hockey league. That's saying something. They are two of the best players in the world and they aren't playing anywhere near that level. They need to create more chances for themselves that way it will create more chances for their linemates.
Alright, let's get positive for a second...
- The Pens were much better in front of the net last night. I called for that in the Pregame and they came through. They had more chances near the crease and had Smith not been unbelievable, the Pens likely would have gotten three or more goals.
- Hornqvist was phenomenal in limited time. I absolutely love the way this guy plays and I wish we had more guys like him on the roster.
- Bonino was much better tonight, as was Brian Dumoulin. Both guys can really help this team out if they perform well, and last night we saw a good showing out of both.
Alright, that will do if for me.
I would like to extend my gratitude to @pensfan2259 for his hospitality and company during the game. It is always a pleasure to watch the game with someone with great hockey knowledge. Thanks again buddy!
I want to thank you all for reading both the Pregame and this writing. Your support is outstanding and I hope you all are enjoying my coverage of the team as much as I enjoy writing about them.
I'd also like to thank the Twitter people as well. I started the season with 605 likes and in just four days I have gained twenty followers. I have no doubt that is because of the loyalty of my long time followers spreading the word about the page. Again, I thank you all!
I will be back for the Pregame on Tuesday. I am hoping to be at the opener in person, but I will still have the Pregame show for you either way. Check in in the early afternoon for that on Tuesday.
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See you Tuesday and LETS GO PENS!!!