Penguins updates 10-16-10, who's in goal tonight

Brent Johnson is starting in goal tonight vs the Flyers. It looks like Coach Bylsma is going with the hot hand. This surprises me. I know Fleury is not too sharp right now but I figured he would get the shot tonight especially since this is the 2nd of back to back games.

In other news, the NHL has rescinded the major penalty to Letang for the hit to Comreau. After they reviewed the play, they concluded it was not an intended shot to the head. I'm glad they did this. The call on the ice was the wrong call and Letang clearly made shoulder to shoulder contact. The call almost cost the Pens the game. They were up 2-0 when the hit occurred. Instead of the hit giving the Pens some momentum, it sent Letang to the showers and the Islanders on the power play, which they eventually scored on. In case you missed it, here is Letangs hit on Comreau.....

Pensguins vs Flyers 10-16-10 pros and cons

Alright, no time to enjoy last nights win, it's onto the Flyers. The game starts at 6:08pm tonight because of the Phillies playoff game. Of course, we all know the Pens lost to the Flyers in the season opener at home. This game will be in Philadelphia where ther Pens are 4-0-1 in the last 5 games. I was a little surprised in the first meeting of how much "hockey" was played as opposed to the usual knock down-drag outs between these two teams. I've got a feeling tonights game will be a little nastier.

The Flyers are 2-1-1 on the season and are coming off a loss Thursday to Tampa Bay. The Flyers will once again be without G Michael Leighton and F Ian Lapiererre. D Matt Walker is a game time decision. D Pronger will be in the lineup after missing the season opener. Here we go, pros and cons....


PROS:

• The Pens are coming off their first win at their new home. That has to be an emotional lift to finally get that one out of the way. Between that and the opponent tonight, I think they will have plenty of energy despite the OT game and earlier starting time tonight
• The Flyers power play has actually been worse than the Penguins this season. They are talking about not enough movement and not shooting enough(sound familiar!). They are 1 for 17 on the season.
• Physical play..The Pens lead the league so far in hits with 131. The Pens can take it to the Flyers and wear them down. They need to hit these guys every opportunity they have.

CONS:

• The Flyers are going back to Sergei Bobrovsky. He looked great the first game against the Pens and is 2-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .931 save% for the season. Can this rookie do it again? I have a feeling not but he has been impressive
• The Flyers penalty kill, led by Claude Giroux, has killed 21 of 23 power plays. It may be another long frustrating night for the pens man advantage

There is no word yet on who is starting in goal or whether Orpik is going to play. If I had to guess, I would say no Orpik and Fleury will start. If I hear or see anything, I will update

UPDATE>>Brent Johnson will be in goal tonight for the Pens vs Flyers

Pens and Islanders recap and notes

Wow, I was right that the Pens would win their first game at the Consol against the Isles, but I didnt think it would be that hard. The game was very entertaining and the team had to overcome several bad calls and some nice acting by DiPietro, but they held on and even won the game on the power play. Johnson looked sharp so I expect an even bigger goalie controversy with the fans. The power play started off 0-7 which just blows my mind.

• So far this season, I have to give the MVP to Alex Goligoski. He has exceeded my expectations in every way, offensively and defensively.
• What is up with Crosby? I have to believe he is playing with pain. He has not been himself. He's loosing battles for the puck that normally he would always win. He is turning over the puck. He does not have the explosiveness that we are used to seeing. I know its early and I'm sure by seasons end he will be among the leagues leaders but he is a concern right now.
• I'm really liking Paul Martin. He is not flashy at all but makes the solid little plays that dont get much airtime. Once Orpik and Michalek come back, this defense is going to be great.

I will try to get the Flyers game pros and cons up sometime later this morning or afternoon. Remember, 6 pm start tonight

Penguins lineup vs New York Islanders

It's being reported on 93.7 the fan that the lines at practice today have a familiar look. Going by this news, here are the lines for tonights game:

Crosby-Kunitz-Dupuis
Comrie-Malkin-Tangradi
Talbot-Cooke-Kennedy

Well, I would have liked to have seen the lines that were used 2 games ago stick for a few. I think Comrie up with Crosby gives the top 2 lines a little more balance. Of coarse, Bylsma mixes and matches his lines during the game probably more than Therrien did so who knows what we'll see 5 minutes in

Penguins vs Islanders preview pros and cons

Tonight will be the 4th game at the Consol Energy Center. I predict it WILL also be the 1st win. The Islanders come in with a record of 1-1-1. Mark Eaton now plays for the Islanders and wears #4. He leads the team with a +2. John Tavares is doubtful with concussion symptoms and James Wisniewski is suspended for the game. Without further ado, here are tonights pros and cons

PROS:

• Sidney Crosby. In the last 5 home games against the Islanders, Crosby has 15 points including 4 goals. He finally got one in the net last game and I look for him to sort of break out tonight
• Brent Johnson. Alot of people are getting their wish tonight as Fleury will sit. Johnson has had a hot hand. He had a great training camp and looked very good against the Devils. With Tavaras out, the Isles dont have a whole lot of firepower. Look for Johnson to have another good game and further the goalie controversy amongst the fans
• Time...The Pens arent going to go 0-41 in their new digs. Tonight might as well be the time to get this win under their belt

CONS:

• The Islanders power play has been fantastic so far, converting at 31.2%. Compare that to the Penguins 15%. The Pens penalty kill is a mediocre 83.3%
• The Pens defense is still shothanded with Brooks Orpik expected to be out again and Michalek definitely out

Penguins new and updates

A few noteworthy items from today.......

• Michalek's injury is not as serious as what was being speculated. Coach Bylsma indicated he could be back as soon as two weeks. This is excellent news. The Penguins need him in the lineup. Having 3 defensemen with little to no NHL experience is tough.
• Brooks Orpik did not practice again today but is still listed as day to day
• Aaron Asham skated and is also expected to be out 2 more weeks
• Jordan Staal skated by himself before practice again. This is great news. I believe once Staal gets himself game ready we will all see how important he is to this team
• Crosby and Talbot did not practice today. Coach Bylsma called it maintenance days
• Brent Johnson will start in goal Friday. The Pens play back to back Friday and Saturday so this isnt too unusual but it will be interesting to see who goes Saturday, especially if Johnson has a good game

Penguins notes and thoughts

Well, the Pens are 0-3 at the Consol. They are 1-3 for the season. Johnson, not Fleury, has the only win...I am NOT a Fleury basher. As a matter of fact, I still believe Fleury is going to end up having a great season. However, it is becoming undeniable he has not looked good early on. He has got outplayed by 3 goalies, 2 of which are hardly known. It's gotten to the point where Coach Bylsma publicly called him out after the loss to Toronto by saying

"There's a couple there that are goals that he's got to come up with a save for us. There's a time when he has got to come up with the save."

Some other thoughts and notes::

• How about Engalland taking down Orr! That was impressive! He stood in there and took some pretty good shots before delivering the deciding blow. If you missed it, here is the video........

• Why was Comrie a healthy scratch against Toronto? Sure he has no points thus far, but he is a top 6 forward on this team. Dupuis was back on Crosby's line and he has no points either. Dupuis again missed a chance to finish a golden opportunity that Crosby handed to him.
• Still no word on Michaleks injury. There is alot of speculation by talk show hosts that this is a separated shoulder that may require surgery. I hope that is not the case. Michalek is the kind of player the Pens desperately need.
• Staal is back skating. There is no timetable for his return but its not too early to wonder how the lines will shape up when he does. We can assume he will be centering Malkins line. So here is what I would like to see::

                       Crosby-kunitz-comrie
                        Staal-Malkin-Tangradi

New Lines for Pens New Jersey game

Well, I am liking these moves alot. I stated yesterday that it was painfully obvious that Pascal Dupuis did not deserve to be on Crosby's line. Today I got my wish.

According to the this article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the new lines are:

Chris Kunitz-Sidney Crosby-Mike Comrie
Eric Tangradi-Mark Letestu-Evgeni Malkin
Matt Cooke-Max Talbot-Tyler Kennedy
Mike Rupp-Craig Adams-Pascal Dupuis/Eric Godard


I believe these lines will be much more productive. The new 1st line of Kunitz, Crosby, and Comrie gives balance, speed, and skill. Kunitz can continue to do his things-going into corners, provide forecheck and grit. Comrie has shown he is willing to go to the net and can finish plays(although he didnt finish several great opportunities in game 1). This should give crosby a little more breathing room because lets be honest, no defense cared about Dupuis.

Malkin is now left with 2 rookies but I think this line will be ok. Letestu has shown hockey smarts. Tangradi is still learning but can drive to the net and take defensemen with him.

Today is a rare 4 pm start. I dont know how much I'll be able to see or listen but hopefully going on the road and these line shakeups are a wakeup call

Penguins random thoughts

Here are some random thoughts on what I've seen from the Pens so far through 2 games

Paul Martin...He does appear to be very smooth in transition. I like the way he clears the puck and he seems to have a very good first pass out of the zone. He also is good on positioning (except the one Flyers goal the other night, but I would put that more on Letangs pass)

Eric Tangradi...

Pens Canadians wrap up

Well, two games in and no wins.No need to panick but I hope this isnt a trend! I liked the way the team played tonight. They battled, they played with energy, they looked better than they did in the Flyers loss. However, the result was the same.

In my pros and cons post for this game, I mentioned the obvious key to the game is stopping Cammelleri. Well, he finished with 2 goals including the game winner. It amazes me that he continues to find the holes and is allowed to be wide open like on his first goal. Lets move on...Next up..New Jersey Monday at 4:00