-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 4th 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.
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