Hello everyone and welcome to the first View From Where I Sat in quite some time! I was so pumped after the win I decided to do one for this huge win v. Philadelphia tonight at Consol Energy Center.
We got plenty to talk about, so lets jump right on in. This is the View From Where I Sat for Penguins/Flyers....
The Game in Review
And the Penguins didn't act, or play like it was, in the first period. They started well in the first five minutes, generating some chances but coming away with nothing. The struggles of Ian Cole continued, as the defenseman who made light of this game in media comments took a lazy interference penalty at the 9:38 mark. The Flyers made the Penguins pay. Despite having the league's 27th ranked power play, they made short work of the Pens quality penalty kill and scored on a rebound. Brayden Schenn got the goal, his 11th of the year from Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere. Roughly five minutes later, Trevor Daley went into the corner fighting for the puck with Philly's Mark Streit. Daley showed his strength, but the refs took it upon themselves to call a penalty against the Pens defenseman. Just seconds later, the Flyers took a 2-0 lead via a Jakub Voracek goal, assisted by Claude Giroux and Gostisbehere. The Penguins' flat play found them down at the intermission, but would come out to a power play after Ryan White slashed Patric Hornqvist with just 14 seconds left on the clock.
Whatever was said in the room during the intermission work, because the Penguins came out and played with purpose in the second period tonight. It may well have been their best period of hockey all season. Trevor Daley, who was a man on a mission after that ridiculous penalty in the first, sniped a shot from the left circle at the 1:40 mark for his fourth goal of the season. Eric Fehr perfectly screened Philly netminder Steve Mason on the play and Olli Maatta and Chris Kunitz were credited with the assists. Six minutes later, Sidney Crosby scored one of the filthiest goals I've ever seen. He beat Mason short side, high for his 15th goal of the season. The tying goal was assisted by Kunitz and Hornqvist. The Pens had tied the game and stolen the momentum completely.
This is when Phil Kessel took over the game.
The Penguins went on the power play again at the 12:57 mark when Chris VandeVelde hooked Evgeni Malkin and the Pens went on their second power play. Just over a minute later, Phil Kessel ignited as he scored a beautiful goal after receiving a crisp pass from Crosby. Kessel banged it home for his 13th of the season and first in nearly 10 games. The Pens would head to the locker room up 3-2.
The final period would see a mix of momentum. The Pens took a two goal lead when Ben Lovejoy fed Carl Hagelin in the neutral zone to spring the Pens on a 2-on-1. Hagelin found Kessel streaking down the right side and the American sniper fired home his second goal of the game and his 14th of the season. The Penguins continued to play well, though they lost Chris Kunitz to injury with just under seven minutes to go. The last five minutes saw the Flyers take momentum, courtesy of a Claude Giroux power play goal at the 16:35 mark. His 14th of the year came via Voracek and Schenn. The Flyers tried their hardest, and nearly pulled it off, but Marc-Andre Fleury slammed the door and the Penguins won their first game v. Philadelphia since the 2013 season.
My 3 Stars
2. Sidney Crosby: I do not know how the Captain scored that short-side goal, but man was that pretty! He added an assist on Kessel's PP goal, as well and firing five shots on Mason. Crosby was phenomenal tonight. He struggled only in the faceoff circle, where he won only 32% of his draws, but his play everywhere else was great. The captain stood up when he needed to in a huge games. That's also points in 12 of his last 16 games.
3. Patric Hornqvist: There were a couple guys I considered here but ultimately went with the net guy. Hornqvist played very well again. He had two assists, five shots on goal, two hits, a block and was robbed by both posts as he clanged a shot off both on one shot in the 3rd period. Hornqvist and Crosby were in-sync all night and that is great for the Penguins moving forward, especially if the Malkin line starts potting goals with regularity. Just can't say enough about Hornqvist, really is a workhorse for this team.
Making the Grade
Olli Maatta (B+): I was very impressed by Olli tonight. I thought he played incredibly well. He added an assist on the Daley power play marker, as well as two hits, one block in nearly 21 minutes of ice time tonight. Olli was great defensively all night long and really passed the puck well. Really coming into his own of late.
Trevor Daley (B): He got called for horrible penalty, he simply won a puck battle, that gave the Flyers a 2-0 lead. After that, Daley looked like a man possessed and one that was looking to make up for the poor call. He did, and played a hell of a game overall. He scored his 4th goal of the season on two shots and blocked a shot as well. I love Daley's play overall since the trade, but he has been really good over the last 4 games. I hope this continues.
Matt Cullen (B-): I thought Cullen played well overall tonight. He was out there for three goals against on the penalty kill, but he did some great things and created some offensive chances while shorthanded today. That was great to see. He was also successful on 81% of his draws, which is huge. Good game for the vet tonight.
Brian Dumoulin (B-): I thought Dumo was solid tonight. He took a late penalty, which I would have like to see him avoid, but he was good in his own zone overall all night. He finished the night with a shot and two hits in nearly 16 minutes of ice time tonight. I love the way this kid has developed this year and I hope he continues to succeed moving forward. He has been a pleasant surprise.
Kevin Porter (B-): I still wish this guy was a scratch, considering he is simply in there to play the PK and brings little else. However, he was pretty solid tonight. He laid down 5 hits, leading all Penguins skaters, and had a few chances offensively on the PK. I would prefer Plotnikov, but I'm not coach. So I'll leave it at that.
Ben Lovejoy (B): Unlike Monday and recent games where he was beaten often, Benny was great tonight. He laid out 4 hits, blocked a bunch of shots and added the breakout pass to Carl Hagelin that ultimately led to the game-winning goal. Benny is far from an elite defenseman, but if he is utilized correctly on the Pens bottom pair, he could be very, very good moving forward. I'd honestly love to see him paired with Pouliot come Saturday.
Chris Kunitz (B): Kunitz looked solid tonight. He added two points (2A) and added three more hits to his totals on the year. It was unfortunate to see him hurt in the 3rd period, however. As much as I don't want him on the top line, or on the books for that matter, there is not discounting the way he's played over the last 10 games or so. He is finally coming out of his funk, so maybe the old Kunitz will return. Hopefully, the injury is nothing serious.
Eric Fehr (A-): Fehr was phenomenal tonight. I absolutely loved what he brought all night long. He was instrumental on the Daley goal in the second and then added three shots, three hits, a block and a few quality chances shorthanded. Fehr has really come around since moving back to 3rd line center and replacing the injured Bonino. He is starting to look like the great player he was in Washington and that is great news for the Penguins.
Bryan Rust (B): I really liked the way Rusty played tonight. I called for him to use his speed in the Pregame to attack these Flyers' defensemen. He did that tonight a couple times and had a few quality chances. He seems to work really well with Eric Fehr, who I hope he stays with even when Bennett and Bonino come back healthy. The kid is talented, he's earned the chance to stay here.
Ian Cole (C): Awful again. I was irate al day when I heard his comments that this was "just another two points." Son, this is Philadelphia. This is Penguins/Flyers. This is NOT just another game. You better be amped up and step up in this game. Cole fell flat on his ass, again. I hope to God Derrick Pouliot gets inserted alongside Ben Lovejoy come Saturday, because I am tired of what Cole is offering of late.
Tom Kuhnhackl (C+): The birthday boy was relatively invisible tonight. He had one shot all game and you didn't see much of him after the first period.
Conor Sheary (C+): Like Kuhnhackl, Sheary was pretty invisible himself. He had a blocked shot that was huge at the end of the first period, but then didn't factor in much. He will likely be the odd man out when Bennett returns, but he has played decently.
Kris Letang (B): Letang played pretty well tonight. No points for the first time in quite some time, but he did post 5 shots and blocked two shots as well. He played just about 27 minutes on the night as well. The injury can't be helping Letang, and I wish he would simply rest it, but he is needed in the lineup. His presence does help this team and the hot streak he is currently on helps too.
Carl Hagelin (B+): I LOVE THIS GUY!!! Wow, can't say enough about Hags. His speed is elite and he showcases it every shift. He had several great chances tonight, registering five shots, and assisted on the game-winner Kessel potted in the 3rd period. Hagelin is finally finding some chemistry with Kessel and I hope he develops more with Malkin as well. If they can, the speed of Hagelin and Kessel alone will make that line dangerous, add a locked-in Geno to the mix, lethal!
Evgeni Malkin (B): I thought Geno was alright tonight. Didn't do anything outstandingly, but he did draw a couple penalties and showed some restraint at times. That was good to see. No worries about Geno, a solid, but pointless game for him.
Patric Hornqvist (A-): see above.
Phil Kessel (A+): see above
Sidney Crosby (A): see above.
My Final Thoughts
- The officiating was abysmal. My God, I have never seen so many soft penalties called. I don't have a problem with power play opportunities for either side, but for the love of God, don't just call penalties for the sake of calling them. There were several of those tonight.
- The PK was not good tonight. The Flyers just know how to beat the Pens on the man-advantage. They scored on half (3-of-6) their power plays tonight. That's not great, but their overall play of late can't be too much cause for concern.
- This was a huge game for the likes of Kessel, Fehr, Kunitz, Daley and Hagelin. The super stars have been great of late, but the Penguins needed more out of guys who are expected to produce. Kessel finally got off his schnide and got two goals. Kunitz added two assists. Fehr didn't add any points, but he was impactful on every shift and in every circumstance. Trevor Daley was outstanding, and though he isn't expected to be a huge part, he can really help this team out if he plays at this level. Finally, Hagelin is big and this trade is paying dividends already. His speed and defensive play is outstanding, but tonight we saw what he can bring offensively. He could have scored two goals tonight, and I think he'll add a few soon.
- I honestly enjoyed this game without all the fisticuffs and nonsense. There were no brawls, there were no dirty hits, none of the shenanigans. And frankly, I am fine with it. It was great to watch a Penguins-Flyers game that was all about the hockey, not the extra curriculars.
- This was a statement win. I know I said that on Sunday v. Carolina, but this is a different story. The Pens haven't been able to take these guys down. They finally played a quality game against the Flyers and finally got something out of it. And it was noticeable the affect it had on the crowd. Consol was loud tonight, I could hear it on the TV. That's awesome. The team not only needed this win, but so did the fanbase. These games mean a ton to us, and it was nice to finally see a win vs the evil Flyers.
Alright, a few closing remarks on what to expect the next few days.
Firstly, I want to thank you for your support and tuning into the Twitter page, Facebook page and blog. There was tons of interaction tonight and man, it was fun. Keep it up and thank you for that!
I will have a Pregame for you for Saturday's matchup with the Canucks at Consol. That will go up at midnight tomorrow night, so you'll have time to check it out.
I NEED #AskBigDave QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY!!! Submit them to me via Twitter or on the Facebook page. I will add them and you can see your answer on Saturday.
I am hoping to have a Pregame on Sunday, but I have a feeling the Penguins and Capitals won't be playing due to the weather. I will let you know Saturday night what my plans are for the Pregame on Saturday. It will depend on if they play and if I have the time. I am away on business for the weekend and don't know if I will get a chance Saturday night to write.
That will do it for me. What a great night guys! I hope you had as much fun as I did! I'll see you Saturday for the Pregame. Good night and LETS GO PENS!!!!