My Thoughts - at New Jersey (L 2-0)

  

Okay, so the Pens weren't that bad, but the game sure was boring.

My Thoughts - vs. Detroit (W! 4-1)

-Flower was on his game tonight. He seemed to be in a good position to stop everything. Besides that one goal that wasn’t his fault, he was perfect.

-He wouldn’t of been so good had if not for his defense stopping all those second chances. Michalek was a beast.

-Along with Flower, Staal’s really stepped it up in Sid’s absence. You can tell  Staalsy’s really back when he’s dominating along the boards.

-It’s amazing how much better TK and Cooke look when they’re put with Staal.

-I thought Kunitz was flying all around the ice tonight and deserved that easy tap in goal. His price tag doesn’t look so bad when he’s healthy does it?

-Letang continues to impress.

-Zetterberg looked like he was ready to have a multiple night, but the Pens kept him largely in check points wise.

-With Geno, I’m in between the haters who think he needs to wake the F up and the apologists who think he’s just snake bitten and is ready to break out. I honestly don’t know what to say anymore. I do know that he’s one of my three keys that have to be tweaked in order for this team to be in prime Cup position (the PP and penalties being the other two). This whole Geno issue has been beaten to death and nothing has changed. Therefore, until things are no longer status quo, I will not be commenting on Geno.

-Nice to see Letestu get rewarded with a new contract.

-Although that could not bode well for a guy like Max Talbot who, by the way, looked great tonight.

-This is one of the fews games where I really don’t have many complaints. Just about everyone played well. That’s how it needs to remain with 87 out.

My Thoughts - at Montreal (W! 5-2)

 

Game Summary

Event Summary

-Well, the Pens finally, finally won a game without Crosby. I’m sure no one feels better about this win than the Captain himself. If seeing his team win makes him rest a little easier, and therefore get healthier, then this was an even bigger win for the Pens than just getting the monkey of playing without Sid off their backs.

-Lost in Tanger and Gogo’s three point nights and Staal’s reemergence, is the solid play of Flower. He, luckily, didn’t have to do much in the final period, but he made some huge saves to keep the game close for his team mates. Loved the pose at the end. Revenge is sweet and pay back is a you-know-what.

-Staal easily had his best game since his return. He looked like the Staal of old. Not only was he a major factor on offense, but he also did a lot of the little things. For instance, he was really physical; that’s something we hadn’t seen from him. Maybe the assurance that he could be more involved physically is a cause of him having more confidence offensively because he sure looked confident with the puck tonight. Staalsy gets my nod for best player on the ice.

-Speaking of confidence with the puck, Tanger had an excellent game as well. There was nothing ground breaking about his game. That’s a good thing though. A three point night and I’m talking about usual Letang? Tells you all you need to know about his season.

-The PP really stepped it up tonight. The key for me where the battles to keep the puck in the zone; when the PP isn’t clicking, that’s one of the main reasons why. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not that saw his first action on the PP tonight, I’d bet on not being one.

-I think it’s great that Goose had two goals tonight. He took two penalties (I’ll give him slack on the second one since it was the end of the game) and he had a team high three giveaways, but the goals made up for it.

-After the Montreal series last season, I had a lot of respect for PK Subban. Now, I’m trying to figure out who he thinks he is. He obviously doesn’t realize that he’s really good and doesn’t need the extra shenanigans. He won’t be getting any respect from me, or his peers, until he knocks it off.

-Asham made his case to be a healthy scratch once Sid comes back.

-Meanwhile, Engelland played a quiet but solid game.

-Kunitz quietly had a two point night (yes, he was credited with the PP goal).

-Seems like Letestu is spending some time in Dan Bylsma’s dog house. His decreased minutes are a result of Staal coming back. At the same time, you’d think he’d be higher on the depth chart than 4^th line and getting more minutes while Sid was out.

-I don’t have to tell you that the Pens were under 50% in the faceoff circle again. I also don’t have to tell you the reason why.

-Michalek had a really tough night. He seemed to be coughing the puck up left and right. You can bet those two statements won’t become a recurring theme—that’s why the Pens pay him $4 million a year.

-Malkin had a very nice first period, but was kind of quiet after that. He's been pretty good while Sid's been out, but he needs to be better. His team mates stepped up the offense for him, but, sad to say, that's not going to happen every night.

-Conner and TK did a lot of little things right. I think this has been missing over the past four games and it made a difference tonight.

-Boston on Thursday. Another big game.

Apologies For Not Posting

Hey guys! I got a cold (which I'm still getting over) after the Winter Classic, then traveled back to California to start a new semester of college. So, needless to say, I've been really busy lately. I won't be posting a "My Thoughts" for the Boston game tonight, but I should be back for the game against Montreal.
See you then and thanks for your patience.
Allie

My Thoughts - Winter Classic: vs. Caps (L 3-1)

 Game Summary

Event Summary

-I was really disappointed with this game for a variety of different reasons. The least of those is Pens losing. The weather and the ice were terrible and the camera angles NBC had made me dizzy. In fact, I’m still dizzy. Anyway, back to the ice. I said this morning that the NHL would not let its most prized possessions (Sid and Ovi) play on anything less than adequate ice. Boy, was I wrong. As a result of the camera angles, I had a hard time deciphering who was who. It’ll be tough to do my usual analysis and I’m sure others will have differing opinions because the camera angles were so sporadic.

-First off, there seems to be a lot of belly aching over the refs. Besides the blatant interference on Sid, I thought it was a well officiated game. Both “no goal” calls were good and both teams had calls let go as well.

-Speaking of the interference on Sid, I was shocked that none of the Pens responded. Maybe they didn’t see it (it was behind the play), but I its still surprising to me. The Caps did a pretty good job on him over all. He created a lot of good things and was pretty good on cycles, but the Caps did well getting sticks in his lane. The bad ice could’ve been a factor into that as well. I’ll be biting my nails hoping that he didn’t play the third period with a concussion. I think he’s okay, and I’m fairly certain that the training staff checked him out but, if I’m not mistaken, concussion symptoms can come a little later than you would think.

-It would be easy to blame Flower for the loss, but you just can’t. The ice conditions definitely played a role in that big miscue he had. Other than that one mistake, he really did have a good game. He kept the Pens in it. And it’s not like the Pens deserved to win either. The team that played the better game won it.

-Even with limited ice time, Staal looked good in his return. Any lack of speed that he may have had, was made up for with size. It’s great to have him back. That being said, Staal’s addition definitely messed with the lines and the chemistry the team had. There were never steady lines throughout the game and I think it showed.

-Malkin was easily the best player for the Pens. He didn’t create a whole lot of chances but he got a bunch and, in a slow game that this turned into, he was really galloping out there. I hope (I really do) that this is what Geno looks like with Staal.

-Michalek quietly (how else does this guy work?) had a very nice game defensively.

-Ovechkin was pretty much shut down. If anyone tries to tell you Ovi had a better game than Sid, they’re liars. Ocho was completely neutralized, while Sid had great chances and made some good plays.

-Martin was the guy who let Fehr get past him for a break away. My assessment: a defensemen of Paul’s caliber can’t let that happen. What makes me really upset was the fact that he was just watching the puck instead of preparing to make a play. Terrible.

-Letang and Orpik both had decent games. Tanger got some good shots off and Orpik saves a goal.

-The “new” third line with Talbot, TK, and Letestu was easily our best line. I think Conner comes back next game.

-Talbot had two or three really, really good chances that he didn’t bury. Ugghh.

-I hate calling it this, but this whole game was pretty much a joke. I want to be gentler, but I don’t know how else to put it.

-No one should be surprised to see any of the players come down with colds in a few days.

-Whatever. TB on Wednesday.