Good evening/morning Penguins fans! I was so excited by the win against Ottawa that I couldn't resist but write up a post game piece after it.
It was absolutely phenomenal to see that level of hockey played by the Penguins tonight. It has been a while since we've seen it.
The Pens emerged victorious against Ottawa tonight at the Consol Energy Center and this is the View From Where I Sat....
The Game In Review
The Penguins played by far their best game of the NHL season tonight. They made some lineup moves before the game, deciding to scratch veteran defenseman Rob Scuderi and rookie Sergei Plotnikov for youngsters Adam Clendening and Bryan Rust. The move definitely paid off. The Pens came out flying in the first period. While they did not get on the board, the completely dictated the pace of play and found themselves in Ottawa's end for the majority of the period. The scoresheet reflected this feat, as the Penguins posted 16 shots in the first to Ottawa's six. The two teams went into the intermission in a scoreless draw, but for the first time this year, the Penguins started the game with jump, pace and dictated the game.
The Penguins would be rewarded for their effort in the second period. Scoring got underway just twenty-three seconds into the period when star center Evgeni Malkin tallied his first goal of the campaign. It was his first goal in 18 games and got him rolling in this game. Patric Hornqvist and Kris Letang assisted the Malkin goal. The Pens fed off that and just two minutes later, they got their second goal. A great breakout pass from Adam Clendening to Kevin Porter started the rush. Porter would find Matt Cullen who hit a streaking Daniel Sprong. The 18-year-old rookie beat Craig Anderson for his first NHL goal at the 2:25 mark. The excitement radiated through the crowd as Sprong jumped into the glass and Consol Energy Center heard the loudest roars of the season. The Penguins held on to the 2-0 lead going into the second intermission.
The Penguins played a little more defensive minded in the third. They did get a 5-on-3 power play early in the period, but couldn't generate much. They got their chances throughout the period, as did Ottawa. However, on this night Marc-Andre Fleury was in complete control and he shut down the Sens completely. The final horn sounded, Elvis had left the building and the Penguins had their first win of the 2015-16 season.
My 3 Stars
2. Marc-Andre Fleury: The Flower rebounded from an off night on Tuesday with a big performance tonight. He saved 22 of 22 shots for his first shutout and win of the season. He was exceptional, but he also should thank his defense. The Penguins blocked 18 shots for him tonight, but he deserves a ton of credit. Fleury was superb.
3. Patric Hornqvist: While Geno was a very worthy candidate, I had to go with Horny. Another outstanding game from the bulldog Swede. He assisted on Malkin's goal, was stellar in front of the net and had three shots on goal. Hornqvist was even better defensively, as he recorded five hits and two huge blocked shots late in the third period. I love this guy's game and the way he hustles every single shift. He was a star for me tonight, pure and simple.
Making the Grade
Adam Clendening (C+): I liked what I saw from Clendening in his debut. However, he was definitely a little rusty game-wise and he took two penalties. Other than that though, he was solid and looked good paired with Olli Maatta. He had a great pass to Kevin Porter that started the Sprong goal and was overall an improvement over Rob Scuderi.
Olli Maatta (B-): I really don't understand why Olli Maatta is only playing 14:00 a night. He only played 14:36 this evening and saw no time on the PK. This makes little sense to me. Anyway, in the time he did play, he was very good in his own zone and had two hits and a blocked shot. I would like to see more out of him and more ice time, but he's playing well with the time given.
Matt Cullen (B): Another game, another solid performance by the 38-year-old center. He assisted on the Sprong goal, had two shots, a blocked shot and won 60% of his faceoffs. While he did take a penalty, he was good when he was on the ice. The Cullen signing made little sense to me in July, but it makes a lot of sense now. He steadies these young wingers and makes up for their mistakes. He's been outstanding, a great move by GMJR.
Brian Dumoulin (B): Dumo played another solid game. He didn't do much in the offensive end, but he was a stalwart in his own zone. I was very impressed by his play this evening and he was rewarded by Mike Johnston with 17:15 on the night. I think the Lovejoy pairing helps him a lot more than Maatta, and frankly anyone is better than being paired with Scuderi. But this was the Dumoulin we saw in the playoffs when he was paired with Taylor Chorney. He's very good and he's only going to get better.
Kevin Porter (B+): I was really impressed by him on Tuesday and was again this evening. I thought he played a fantastic hockey game tonight. He assisted on Sprong's goal, had two shots, two hits and a takeaway in 15:44. His ice time has consistently climbed over the last three games and for good reason. He has played excellent defensive hockey and he is creating scoring chances in the opponent's zone. He's probably not better than a fourth liner, but he plays well with Cullen and I like the two of them together.
Ben Lovejoy (B): I thought Ben was very good again. He doesn't get a ton of love or fanfare, but he is a consistent, reliable defenseman. The pairing with Dumoulin definitely worked and I'd like to see them together more often. He had two blocks tonight and a good takeaway. A good game by the Reverend.
Nick Bonino (B-): I didn't think Bonino was as good tonight as Tuesday, but he was still solid. He had three great takeaways that led to chances, but he didn't put up any shots and only won 35% of his faceoffs. He was solid, but wasn't as good as Tuesday.
Chris Kunitz (B-): More of the same from Kunitz. Very physical but didn't do much else. I liked that he deferred more to Sid and Kessel tonight than he has in the first three games, but he needs to start doing something on that top line if he wants to stay there.
Bryan Rust (C+): Rust was called up this afternoon and immediately inserted in the lineup. I think Rust is a capable third liner in the NHL and played decent tonight. He had two shots in his 7:33, but did little else besides getting waffled at center ice by Mark Borowiecki of the Sens.
Bobby Farnham (C): Not his best fight, that's for sure. Otherwise, he was ok. He does have excellent speed and showcases it often, but he doesn't have the hands to make a huge impact in that way. He will always be a character and physical presence. He did that for sure tonight.
Ian Cole (B+): I thought Cole was phenomenal tonight. His defensive work alone was outstanding. He blocked a team high 5 shots and performed excellently on the PK tonight. I really think Cole can become the next Paul Martin, tonight was a great showing why.
Daniel Sprong (A): See above
David Perron (B+): This may have been Perron's best game in Pittsburgh. He unfortunately didn't get rewarded personally for his outstanding work, but he was great. He had a team high 7 shots on goal, two blocked shots and a hit. He played incredibly well next to Geno and Hornqvist and it's where he needs to stay. The trio create a well-balanced line.
Kris Letang (A-): Another great line of work for the French Canadian. He led the team with 28:06, an assist, two shots and two blocks. I personally like it when Tanger shoots more, but he gets the job done in other ways when he isn't shooting. It was another solid effort by Letang, though I wouldn't want to see multiple giveaways again.
Evgeni Malkin (A-): Best game Geno has played all year. He was flying tonight and creative. He had three shots, two takeaways and was even good on the PK. This is the Geno that needs to show up on a nightly basis. He played more to Johnston's system as well and it certainly helped his line have more of an impact.
Patric Horqvist (A): See above.
Phil Kessel (B): Kessel was solid tonight. He had four shots and had a few more attempts. The shots he had were solid chances that will go in more often than not. Kessel looked much better tonight than on Tuesday, and I think he will be absolutely flying on Saturday against the Leafs.
Sidney Crosby (B): Sid played another good game and like Perron did not get rewarded. He was 65% in the faceoff circle, had three excellent scoring chances and blocked a shot. The Captain will break through and get a point soon, then he will likely be off to the races to bring Art Ross back to the Burgh.
My Final Thoughts
That is what happened tonight and that's why the Penguins had success. The breakout was much better, cleaner. They traveled in packs more and created outlets to get the puck into the Ottawa zone. This led to chances and shots. It's no mistake that they put up 16 shots in the first and 36 on the night. It was a combination of hard work and actually playing Johnston's system the way it is designed.
A big help also came from the fact the defensemen could run it. Letang, Cole, Maatta and Dumoulin can do it, but Scuderi and Lovejoy can't. With Clendening in there, the breakout from the defensive zone was much, much better. I think the Pens need to keep Clendening in there and continue to run the system with the best options to operate within it.
Tonight is also an example of what happens when you play a complete, 60 minute game. The Pens worked their tails off from the opening puck drop until the final whistle. We haven't seen that in months and, go figure, they won.
The big guys came through tonight. Fleury was outstanding. Geno decided to be a superstar again. Crosby, Kessel and Letang were all steady and created chances. The Penguins will go as far as their stars take them. A solid game out of all five will almost always result in a win.
The penalty kill was very good tonight. Sid and Geno did an excellent job up there and Bonino, Cullen and Porter were outstanding. With Eric Fehr rejoining the team today, he will add to the unit when he finally gets into game. The Penguins now have roughly six to seven guys that can kill. That's a huge advantage over years past.
The power play still wasn't anything to ride home about. They generated a few chances, but it always hurts when you don't score a 5-on-3. I think with more practice they will find their stroke and then lookout NHL.
That will do it for me tonight. I thank you all for tuning into both the Pregame and to this. The Pregame had nearly 500 hits today in 6 hours, which is pretty amazing. Thank you all for checking it out. You're all first stars in my book.
I will have a Pregame for Saturday, but I can guarantee I will not have a post-game. I will not be able to watch the game since I will be traveling, so I won't be able to provide my thoughts on how they end up playing. Pregame, however, will be posted as usual. Check for it around noon on Saturday.
That's it for me. Enjoy the rest of your night/day and Lets Go Pens!!!