Bleacher Report - Articles by Matt Gajtka

Trading Nyjer Morgan a Risk Pittsburgh Pirates Had to Take

Matt Gajtka — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:16:46 -0400

You'll have to excuse Pittsburgh Pirates fans for not knowing quite how to react to a front office with a plan.

Tuesday's trade that sent the speedy and affable outfielder Nyjer Morgan and left-handed reliever Sean Burnett to the Washington Nationals for sidetracked prospect Lastings Milledge and righty Joel Hanrahan was met with predictable discontent from many followers of the maligned Buccos.

While the consensus around Major League Baseball insiders is that the Pirates got the better of the two-for-two swap, you'll find no shortage of PNC Park regulars who are having a hard time getting over the departure of "Tony Plush." (It's his "gentleman's name." Don't ask.)

In fact, the grumbling over second-year general manager Neal Huntington's second unpopular trade in a month (he sent Nate McLouth to Atlanta for starter Charlie Morton and prospects June 3) is hardly limited to the paying customers.

Shortstop Jack Wilson, the longest tenured Pirate at nine years, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette yesterday that he was "beyond tired" of roster moves that defer the team's present in favor of its future.

That's fine. It's Wilson's prerogative to be upset about losing a couple of friends who were immensely popular in the clubhouse, especially Morgan, who was enjoying his first season as a big league starter at the age of 29.

However, his disgust is misguided. Morgan, while a slightly above-average player once his defensive prowess is factored in, became redundant in the Pirates' newly stocked minor-league system after Gorkys Hernandez was added as part of the McLouth trade. Hernandez profiles to be a more offensively-gifted version of Morgan in a short period of time.

But the primary reason this trade had to be made was the tremendous upside of Milledge. The former No. 1 prospect in the New York Mets organization who fell out of favor in both Queens and D.C. due to his immaturity will get a third chance with the Pirates, starting with their Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis this week.

Expect a call-up to Pittsburgh the minute the 24-year-old Milledge gets on a roll in Indy, placing him alongside his old buddy and fellow central-Floridian Andrew McCutchen in the Bucs' outfield.

Of course, there is a legitimate risk that Milledge won't be able to harness the natural ability that made him the 12th overall selection in the 2003 MLB Draft. Even if so, this trade will still have been a sound decision by the Pirates front office, considering the limited place Morgan claimed in the team's future.

With Pittsburgh only 5.5 games behind NL Central-leading Milwaukee heading into Wednesday's action, it could be argued the last-place Pirates are still in the hunt for their first postseason since 1992.

Credit the front office, led by Huntington and team president Frank Coonelly, for realizing that a 36-41 record essentially at the season's midpoint means the Buccos are further away from their championship goal than the standings may indicate.

It's the perfect time to take a chance.

Pirates Striving to Climb Pittsburgh Sports Hierarchy

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:39:08 -0400

It's difficult to imagine now, but there once was a time the Pirates stood indisputably atop the city of Pittsburgh's sporting hierarchy.

There once was a time the Battlin' Buccos actually justified the nickname with their play on the field, especially in surging back from three-games-to-one deficits to pilfer the 1971 and 1979 World Series championships from the Baltimore Orioles.

Heck, there once was a time pro baseball was truly relevant among all ages of 'Burgh sports fans, not just the ladies and gents who can honestly remember the last time the Pirates claimed the National League pennant.

And, yes, there once was a time in which Opening Day inspired realistic hope and genuine excitement that the Bucs could play meaningful games in September.

As the Pittsburgh Pirates open their 2009 season striving to put a 16-year losing streak to bed, and thus avoid setting a new mark for futility in the annals of major North American professional sports, it's blatantly obvious those times are long gone.

But I'm not here to discuss when (and if) those redletter days for the Pirates will return. As an avid follower of the Bucs, I certainly hope they do.

Rather, I want to explore how the Pirates' record-tying rotten run has injured them in the hearts and minds of Pittsburgh sports fans.

As I touched upon in the opening paragraph, the Pirates were king in Western Pennsylvania and the Tri-State Area throughout the first half of the 20th Century and, contrary to conventional wisdom, matched the National Football League's Steelers for popularity all the way through the 1970s.

The Steelers captured their first four Super Bowl crowns in the '70s, outpacing the "Lumber Company" Pirates by two championships, but the Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year" issue from 1979, featuring both Terry Bradshaw and Willie Stargell on its cover, tells the story best: the Steelers and Pirates ruled the Black and Gold kingdom concurrently and with equal power.

But regardless of the co-monarchy status of that era, the thought that the Pirates could be challenged became a reality, and even though both the Bucs and Steelers suffered through dark days in the 1980s, the seed for pro baseball's decline in Pittsburgh was germinating nonetheless.

Entering the 1990s, the Pirates found themselves facing a new challenger for regional supremacy: the National Hockey League's Penguins. The Pens, whose outsider status prompted the changing of team colors from blue and white to black and gold in 1980, had built a consistent winner with the help of French-Canadian superstar Mario Lemieux and revived Pittsburgh's "City of Champions" identity in 1991 and '92 with back-to-back Stanley Cups.

Simultaneously, the Pirates were charging back into NL contention, winning three straight Eastern Division titles from 1990-'92. Powered by a lithe Barry Bonds, an in-his-prime Andy Van Slyke, and ace Doug Drabek, the Buccos came within one game of the pennant in '91 and as close as one (freaking) out shy in '92, but were turned away by the Atlanta Braves both times.

After Sid Bream's slide home eliminated the Pirates from the '92 playoffs and broke countless hearts, the losing began and it hasn't ceased since due to a remarkable combination of payroll stinginess and gross mismanagement of assets.

In the meantime, the Bill Cowher-led Steelers took flight, leading to a handful of divisional crowns and eventually a fifth Super Bowl in February 2006. Also during the Pirates' dormancy, the Penguins perennially contended through the '90s, rebuilt and now have arguably the NHL's most exciting team, led by mega-talents Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

On top of all that, improbably, the University of Pittsburgh's men's basketball team has established itself as one of college hoops' premier programs, even though it has yet to make a Final Four appearance after nearly a decade of high-quality play.

But even in spite of the Panthers' tight loss to Villanova in the Elite Eight late last month, I still feel comfortable placing the Pitt cagers above the more-than-100-year tradition of the Pirates, simply because an entire generation of Pittsburghers have grown up without experiencing a pennant race.

So there it is. In a decidedly pro-centric city such as Pittsburgh, the Pirates have fallen below a college team. Dodging the ignominy of 17 consecutive sub-.500 summers would clearly be the first step out of fourth place, but it's only a small step.

New management, anchored by team president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington, has started to implement a seemingly-sound plan for improvement, but for the near future it appears the Bucs still have time to serve in the basement of the NL Central, as well as last place in regional relevance.

The one-time and long-time king of 'Burgh sports is dead...at least for now.

Pittsburgh Penguins' Slow Week Yields Promising Results

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:32:49 -0400

The National Hockey League regular season has reached its scoreboard-watching phase, a span during which every coach, player, and fan knows the significance of each game to the developing playoff race.

At this frantically-paced, adrenaline-fueled time of year, the hope is that the schedule permits little time for idle worry about your team's postseason fate.

In other words, the players would rather have a constructive outlet for their nervous energy and the coaches and fans would prefer focusing on their own team's issues instead of on how other clubs are faring.

Despite not having the luxury of a busy itinerary last week, the Pittsburgh Penguins nonetheless managed to earn two victories over quality opponents and, in the process, inched ever closer to locking up a postseason berth.

After shutting out the Calgary Flames (the fourth-best scoring team in the NHL) Wednesday night, the Penguins topped the New York Rangers 4-3 Saturday to move three points ahead of their Atlantic Division counterparts with six games to play for each team.

And while the stars certainly showed up for Pittsburgh—league-leading scorer Evgeni Malkin played a key role in both goals against Calgary, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular in the same game, and captain Sidney Crosby drilled home the game-winner in the third period Saturday—the lesser lights played equal or greater roles in helping the Pens make the most of their slow work week.

Defensemen Kris Letang and Hal Gill (!) scored Wednesday, making it the first time in Penguins history that blueliners contributed both goals in a 2-0 victory. Letang netted his second tally in two games from in tight on the power play; Gill's second of the entire season (and 31st in 845 career matches) finished a two-man rush with Malkin that was sprung by a well-timed Rob Scuderi poke check.

A host of secondary weapons got on the scoresheet Saturday, led by Ruslan Fedotenko, who earned his first goal in over a month to go with a pair of assists. Energy players Max Talbot and Matt Cooke also picked up a goal each to stake the Penguins to a 2-0 first-period bulge.

Fedotenko's previous goal came while playing on Crosby's line Feb. 21 in Philadelphia, and the seventh-year pro from the Ukraine hit No. 87 with a headman pass through the neutral zone midway through the final frame that the NHL's No. 3 scorer turned into Pittsburgh goal No. 4.

The win Saturday wrapped up a 10-1-2 month of March. (By the way, where are all the "March of the Penguins" headlines? I know that was played out three years ago, but I'm still disappointed.) The Pens probably need to win only two of their remaining six contests to guarantee further spring hockey in Pittsburgh, but a higher seed and even home ice in the first round are still within reach.

According to the fantastic Sports Club Stats Web site, the Penguins, who had a mere 26 percent chance of qualifying for the playoffs after falling in Toronto Feb. 14 (not coincidentally, Michel Therrien's final game), are now virtually guaranteed to play on with just over a 98 percent probability.

Take a moment to let it soak in. This monumental shift in fortune occurred in only six weeks.

The Pens' team-record eight-game home stand concludes Wednesday as the Devils invade Mellon Arena. The Black and Gold has essentially no chance to catch division-leading New Jersey, but the motivational fires will still be stoked, since the clubs are currently lined up to collide in the first round of the Stanley Cup tournament in the 3 vs. 6 matchup.

Following that, the Penguins won't play again until Saturday, when they finish the season with five games in eight days. Until then, though, they will enjoy another week chock full of practice and evenings away from the rink.

The Pens plan to be busy until early June, anyway, so what's another slow week?

Penguins Finally Return to Earth in Loss to Flyers

Matt Gajtka — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 09:30:42 -0400

The Pittsburgh Penguins were perturbed following their 3-1 defeat to the cross-state Philadelphia Flyers Sunday afternoon, and they had legitimate reasons for refusing to take the loss in stride.

First, the regulation setback was the Penguins' first in exactly a month. Their previous 60-minute disappointment was February 22, 5-2 in Washington.

Second, the Pens and Flyers were tied for fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 86 points apiece entering Sunday's action. Since Philadelphia had played three fewer games than Pittsburgh, if the Pens entertained serious thoughts of overcoming their fellow Keystoners for home ice in the first round of the playoffs, they had to grab at least a point and probably two.

Third, they just lost to Philly. The rivalry between two of the NHL's six original expansion teams is as vibrant as ever in its 41st season.

Heck, maybe even the fact that it was the team's third consecutive lackluster result on the Peacock Network was enough to boil their blood a little more than usual. The aforementioned matinee loss to the Capitals was preceded by a 3-0 home blanking at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings.

But despite the possible multitude of reasons for the players' disgust, the end of a 10-0-2 streak that was as improbable as it was impressive is surely no reason for Penguins supporters to line up on the nearest bridge.

From the macro perspective, it's useful to remember that gaining 27 points in Dan Bylsma's first 17 games behind the bench has perched the Penguins on firm playoff footing.

Now that the Buffalo Sabres have faded to five points behind eighth-place Montreal, only the Florida Panthers and their 80 points pose a threat to unseat one of the East's top eight.

If the Cats are able to end their lengthy postseason drought, it will likely be at the expense of Montreal, a team in a panic-worthy downward vortex, instead of the seventh-place New York Rangers (84 points), the No. 6 Carolina Hurricanes (85) or the Penguins.

Zeroing in on Sunday's game, the Penguins certainly didn't do anything to indicate they are due for a swoon. Along with outshooting the Flyers 28-20 and getting their fair share of even-strength scoring chances, the Pens won an even 50 percent of faceoffs, and delivered exactly half the hits in the contest, according to the Mellon Arena off-ice officials.

Those are numbers that suggest the Pens deserved better, but the Flyers dictated terms during special teams play, which turned out to be the deciding factor in a game featuring 11 power plays, seven of which favored Philadelphia.

That the Flyers emerged on top in a game laden with minor penalties should not be surprising. They rank sixth in both power play and penalty kill efficiency. In Sunday's game, Philly won the special teams battle 2-1 as they scored twice in seven chances with the extra man while limiting Pittsburgh to one PP goal midway through the third period.

Perhaps the Penguins should be relieved the special teams game wasn't even more lopsided, considering the Flyers lead the NHL with 16 shorthanded tallies. It's an intimidating total for opposing power plays, for sure, but arguably not as impressive as their zero (that's not a typo) shorthanded goals allowed on the season. A clean sheet that, if maintained, would be only the second of its kind in the history of the league.

(To satisfy your curiosity, the 1975-76 Canadiens are the only team to finish a season without surrendering a single shorty.)

For likely playoff teams at this stage of the year, though, a loss isn't a total loss if a team can ingrain a key lesson to be applied in the "second season." With the Pens and Flyers aligned for another postseason collision if they continue to play winning hockey, a matchup like Sunday's can serve as a exploratory mission instead of the usual impassioned tussle.

Providing there is another Battle of Pennsylvania this spring, it's certain the Penguins will do their best to stay out of the penalty box, thus making a potential playoff series a predominantly even-strength affair.

As for the business at hand, the Pens' schedule slows down over the next two weeks, featuring only four games following an extended stretch of 18 in 36 days. The sudden abundance of downtime and practice could serve to rejuvenate the club, provided the coaches and players don't get too antsy watching their conference brethren catch up to them, both in terms of points and games played.

Upon further review, maybe the disgust roused by falling to a division rival will fill some of the Penguins' upcoming free time quite nicely.

Whether it idly festers or actively inspires is up to them.

8-0-2 Run Has Pittsburgh Penguins Challenging For Home Ice in First Round

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:01:09 -0400

A lot can change in a month.

Whether it's considered one unbroken unit or reduced to four weeks, 28 days, 672 hours, 40,320 minutes or 2,419,200 seconds, the fact remains that a month is a reasonable amount of time from which to gauge how a given situation has changed.

The Pittsburgh Penguins underwent no small amount of change from Feb. 15 to March 15. The methods of the team's metamorphosis were primarily subtraction—head coach Michel Therrien was fired, defenseman Ryan Whitney was dealt away—and addition—Dan Bylsma took over behind the bench and Chris Kunitz, Bill Guerin, and Craig Adams were acquired prior to the NHL's trade deadline.

Interim coach Bylsma has applied his personal hockey philosophy to the Penguins' retooled roster, transforming a club that had learned to rely on a patient, counterpunching approach into an assertive bunch that aims to exhaust the opposition by possessing the puck in the offensive zone.

More importantly, the Pens have risen from a 27-25-5 record that held them outside the Eastern Conference's projected playoff field to a 37-26-8 mark that has pulled the No. 4 seed and home-ice advantage in the first round into reach.

Sunday afternoon's 6-4 outgunning of the conference-leading Boston Bruins not only gave Pittsburgh a 10-1-3 record over the past month, but also extended a season-best 10-game unbeaten streak heading into Tuesday's home tilt with the Atlanta Thrashers.

That the Penguins managed to rally from a deficit after trailing through two periods for the league-leading 11th time this season was significant for reasons besides the fact that front-running Boston was the opponent.

The comeback win also functioned as a palate cleanser following two straight shootout losses, the latter of which occurred after Pittsburgh squandered a 3-1 lead with eight minutes to play Saturday against the non-contending Ottawa Senators.

Sunday's triumph highlighted just how much the Penguins' forward depth has improved after general manager Ray Shero's recent tinkering.

Less than a minute into the contest, Guerin one-timed a bullet past Boston goalie Tim Thomas off a sweet setup from Sidney Crosby behind the goal. It was Guerin's second goal in six games wearing the black and gold to complement his six assists.

Later in the first period, with the Bruins having taken the lead back at 2-1, Kunitz redirected a short Crosby feed into the cage during a 5-on-3 power play. The gritty goal was Kunitz' fourth in his ninth game with Pittsburgh, and there was more to come from the former Anaheim Duck.

The Pens trailed 3-2 heading into the final frame, but quickly earned a man-advantage and capitalized to tie the score. Sergei Gonchar floated a 50-foot wrister into the twine through a double screen set by Kunitz and NHL scoring leader Evgeni Malkin.

While the puck appeared to deflect off Kunitz' glove, he insisted to the contrary, which cost him his second career hat trick when he converted a breakaway pass from Guerin into an electrifying go-ahead tally just 18 seconds later. Kunitz now has 11 points (5+6) in nine games as a Penguin.

Even though Boston knotted the game again courtesy of a Michael Ryder unassisted goal, Jordan Staal set up Petr Sykora in the left circle for the game-winner at 9:29 of the period, then Staal himself stole the puck and potted an empty-netter in the final minute.

The Penguins' 20-year-old third-line center has points in six of his last nine games, corresponding nicely with his team's 8-0-2 run. Beyond the scoresheet, the 6'4" Staal has been a puck-possession dynamo of late, putting his angular frame between the puck and his checker with consistency.

Also, captain Crosby has quietly constructed a 10-game point streak, dating back to Feb. 16 at the Islanders, the first game of the Bylsma era (he missed four games due to a groin injury). It's not a coincidence that the Penguins have surged in the midst of Sid's 18-point burst.

In the gridlocked East, Pittsburgh is four points ahead of the ninth-place Florida Panthers, yet only two points back of the Philadelphia Flyers, who hold the No. 4 spot. The precarious nature of playoff positioning ensures the Pens will have ample motivation to continue their high quality of play through the final 11 games.

If they do keep rolling, the fourth seed and the first-round home ice that accompanies it is an attainable goal, even if the Flyers have three games in hand. Six more consecutive home dates give the Penguins an honest chance at overtaking their Keystone State brethren.

Another four weeks remain in the NHL's regular season. The harsh truth is the Penguins need one more favorable month to guarantee a postseason berth.

The good news? They've already churned out one spectacular month.

Penguins-Blue Jackets: "I-70 Series" Limited By Current NHL Geography

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:35:23 -0400

Pittsburgh and Columbus are less than 200 miles apart, but in the mind of the National Hockey League, they might as well be on opposite ends of the North American continent.

You see, in the northeast-centric landscape of the NHL, Eastern Time Zone cities Detroit and Columbus are forced to play in the Western Conference. Heck, even Toronto, which is a few meridians east of Pittsburgh, played in the West as recently as 1998.

But while the Red Wings have traditionally competed against the likes of current Central Division rivals St. Louis and Chicago, the eighth-year Blue Jackets are stuck with someone else's schedule.

Teams from as far away as Vancouver and Los Angeles visit twice a year, while the Penguins made the mere three-hour drive for just the second time in four seasons.

Give the NHL credit for being flexible by mandating three interconference home-and-home series for each of its 30 clubs. Award further kudos for pitting the Pens and Jackets against each other twice in this, the first season for the revamped scheduling matrix.

But in the aftermath of a 4-3 Columbus shootout victory, a game that featured a Hatfields-vs.-McCoys atmosphere in the stands (appropriate since the Blue Jackets are the namesakes of Union Civil War soldiers), I've got to wonder if the league can make a special exception and arrange for Pittsburgh and Columbus to meet four times a year.

I'm not advocating having the Penguins and Jackets play two fewer games apiece against their conference brethren; on the contrary, let's simply set aside four of the six East vs. West contests for a yearly "I-70 Series" that would surely excite and activate both fanbases.

It doesn't have to be exclusive treatment, either. I guarantee old Original Six combatants Toronto and Detroit would love to collide four times per season and get an old blood-feud boiling again.

What about Chicago and Boston, too? The option to handpick an interconference four-game series could be given to all teams to accept or decline, depending on interest.

In a league that is dependent on packed houses and spectator intensity, what's the drawback? Maybe Carolina and Nashville can kindle a Southern-fried tit-for-tat, or Tampa Bay and Calgary could elect to relive their seven-game Stanley Cup Final of 2004.

It's certainly food for thought.

In the meantime, with Blue Jackets Fever reaching epidemic proportions in Buckeye Country and a franchise-record crowd at Nationwide Arena to see playoff-hopeful Columbus try to fend off the two best centers in hockey, surely Jackets management can't wait for the Pittsburgh Penguins Road Show to ride back through central Ohio.

The way both teams are playing—a combined record of 22-8-3 since Feb. 4—it's not that improbable that the Pens next visit to could occur in early June as opposed to some as-yet-undetermined date in the future.

But aside from dreaming of a Pens-Jackets Cup tussle (would West Virginia be considered the neutral zone?), the next best thing besides adding Columbus to the Atlantic Division would be a four-game set each season.

NHL geography be damned.

Pittsburgh Penguins' Winning Streak Adds to Eastern Conference Gridlock

Matt Gajtka — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 14:48:29 -0400

As of the morning of March 10, seven points separate seven teams tussling for the bottom five Eastern Conference playoff berths.

From the Philadelphia Flyers, in the No. 4 spot with 80 points, down to the Buffalo Sabres, who are still clinging to hope in 10th position with 73, uncertainty and immediacy will rule the next five weeks.

As close to literally right in the middle as possible (only because you can't have 76.5 points) is the National Hockey League's hottest club, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Since "Disco" Dan Bylsma was plucked from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League and planted behind the bench in Pittsburgh, the Penguins are an NHL-best 8-1-1 after sweeping a five-game road swing, and return home for nine of their next 10, and 10 of their last 15 overall.

With the positive energy built by the coaching change added to the influx of Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin to the Sidney Crosby line, plus the very favorable season-closing schedule, and the Pens have suddenly gone from falling off the cliff to confident climbers in less than a month.

But while Pittsburgh has markedly improved its postseason chances since Feb. 16, a.k.a. Bylsma's first full day on the job, earning 17 of a possible 20 points in the standings has merely functioned as a prelude to the true playoff push.

As Crosby alluded to following Monday's practice, despite how all the good results as of late, the Penguins still have much to do in order to lock up a return to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Assuming that 94 points guarantees the No. 8 spot, Pittsburgh still has to go 9-6 the rest of the way, an attainable finish, but not a shoo-in with 11 games left against teams with at least a reasonable shot at the postseason.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, only six of those 11 "tough" contests are with clubs jammed alongside in the seven-team East pileup—Philadelphia, Carolina, Montreal, Florida, New York, and Buffalo.

Just six "four-point" games means the Flightless Fowl have less control over their positioning in the gridlock than, say, the Rangers, who still have nine "four-pointers" to play.

Furthermore, the Penguins' upcoming nine-out-of-10 home-stand includes only two teams that are completely out of contention, Ottawa and Atlanta. Of course, only seven out of 30 teams fit that distinction, so it's not something that should be considered out of the ordinary.

For the players and coaches, though, the only worry can be the next game, beginning with Tuesday's home tilt against the Panthers, who share the Penguins' total of 76 points, although with one fewer game played.

Imminence equals importance at this time of year especially. The five teams fortunate enough to clinch Eastern Conference playoff seeds Nos. 4-8 will likely be the ones who focused on skating and shooting and let the standings decide themselves.

The Penguins have done just that in the past three weeks, resuscitating a 2008-09 season that was dangerously close to flat-lining.

Whether the patient lives to see the third week of April has yet to be determined.

Drive for Five: Pittsburgh Penguins Have Chance for Perfect Road Trip

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:59:00 -0500

Last Wednesday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins barely squeezed by the National Hockey League's worst team, the New York Islanders, by the score of 1-0. Petr Sykora's rebound goal with 2:28 to play in the third period prevented the Penguins from playing overtime with the depleted Isles for the second time in nine days.

The sketchy victory gave Pittsburgh 66 points, good for 10th in the Eastern Conference and two points arrears of the crucial No. 8 position, the final playoff berth.

The win also improved the Pens to 3-1-1 under the tutelage of interim head coach Dan Bylsma, but the pair of standings points earned was just about the only thing to love about the effort.

The subdued joy wasn't totally due to the game's poor aesthetics, though. Pittsburgh had taken the ice at Mellon Arena without the services of captain Sidney Crosby, who sat out his first of four straight contests with a groin strain, and was about to embark on a five-game road trip, the longest of the season.

Conventional wisdom held that the Pens would have to earn at least half the available points during that span in order to stay within hailing distance of the East's top eight.

Nine days following that greasy triumph over New York, the Penguins most recent loss remains the 5-2 setback Feb. 22 in Washington, the same city they'll have to conquer this Sunday if they wish to complete the franchise's first-ever perfect 5-0 trip.

That's right, the same team left for dead by many when former coach Michel Therrien was shown the door nearly three weeks ago has strung together five consecutive wins, each more impressive than the last.

Thursday night's dismantling of fellow playoff-hopeful Florida by the count of 4-1 was a warning shot over the NHL's bough, serving notice that last season's Stanley Cup runners-up are not about to go quietly into that good night.

This week in Florida, a state in which the Pens have traditionally struggled, the Black and Gold turned two potentially troublesome games into virtual walkovers, thanks to a host of contributors.

Tuesday's tilt featured the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team with 2007-08 Penguins Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi and Adam Hall on its roster. While Roberts and Recchi were scratched due to their purported involvement in imminent trades, the looming deadline for deals provided enough distraction to fill the void.

With ample reason to let their intensity wane, the Penguins received two first-period goals from newcomer Chris Kunitz en route to a routine 3-1 victory.

Center Jordan Staal, rumored to be a prime candidate for a trade, ignored the chatter and turned in one of the best two-way performances of his career, helping stifle a team that has just dropped eight on the Northwest Division-leading Calgary Flames.

The trading deadline passed the next afternoon with minimal roster extraction—only winger Miroslav Satan was missing, demoted to Wilkes-Barre—and a significant injection of grit and experience courtesy of general manager Ray Shero.

Electing to travel a less-spectacular route this spring, the Pens GM added Islanders captain Bill Guerin and fourth-liner Craig Adams via waivers from Chicago. The acquisitions immediately made the Penguins a deeper, grittier team, attributes that showed themselves Thursday night against the Panthers.

The first half of the contest was a waiting game, each side poised to capitalize on an opposition misplay.

With Guerin inserted with the mended Crosby and Kunitz, the third and fourth lines were bolstered with the additions of Pascal Dupuis and Tyler Kennedy, both of whom were tried on the top two lines for the majority of the season.

Along with Staal, Adams, Matt Cooke and Max Talbot, Dupuis and Kennedy were back in their grinding comfort zones, allowing Bylsma to fearlessly roll four lines all night long.

It proved to be a winning strategy for the Penguins, as they appeared to be the fresher team in the third, pumping in the last three goals - including two by Kennedy - to provide the final 4-1 margin.

Pittsburgh is now tied for sixth in the conference with 74 points; Florida and the New York Rangers are alongside.

Suddenly, improbably, making the playoffs isn't the only goal. The fight for home ice in the first round (fifth-place Montreal and No. 4 Philadelphia are only one and four points ahead, respectively) has become winnable because of Pittsburgh's 7-1-1 record under "Disco" Dan.

And to think, the dream might have been reborn with that near-nightmare against the Islanders.

Onward and Upward: Pittsburgh Penguins Make Changes, Climb Standings

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:27:02 -0500

I don't have access to Ray Shero's iPod, but if the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager didn't own Sheryl Crow's 1997 hit "A Change Would Do You Good" two weeks ago, he probably does now.

Singer-songwriter wisdom aside, with his team threatening to miss the playoffs a year after rocking the hockey world with its steamrolling of the Eastern Conference bracket, Shero knew something had to be adjusted.

Fifteen days after firing head coach Michel Therrien and replacing him with Dan Bylsma, who had been behind the bench for the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pa., the Flightless Fowl have earned 11 of a possible 14 points in the standings and are back in playoff position for the first time since the opening week of 2009.

To what shall we attribute the sudden surge? Considering the Pens have averaged a healthy four goals per game during their current 5-1-1 run, it would be tempting to lump most of the praise on the offense.

Didn't Bylsma mention on his first day in Pittsburgh that he wanted to emphasize attacking and dictating the play? Maybe the increased number of red lights is simply the result of more aggressive hockey.

The refreshingly balanced list of offensive contributors during Bylsma's seven-game reign certainly advances that premise. Led by Evgeni Malkin and his five goals, 11 players have combined to net the 24 scores since the coaching change.

Most notable are the two gentlemen tied for second with three lamp-lighters apiece: grinding center Max Talbot and flighty winger Miroslav Satan. The fact that these two, light-years apart as far as playing styles are concerned, are both enjoying increased producting under Bylsma's revamped system is a testament to the success of said system.

If nothing else, getting goals from Jordan Staal, Sergei Gonchar, Ruslan Fedotenko, Petr Sykora, Kris Letang and newly-acquired Chris Kunitz dulls the impact of Sidney Crosby's groin strain, a stubborn injury that has kept the National Hockey League's No. 3 scorer in the press box for the past three games.

Despite Pittsburgh's climb to eighth in the East, persistent issues have continued to irritate in the past half-month. The penalty-killing unit, in the bottom half of the league since the opening weeks of the season, has continued to surrender more than its share, including six goals against in its past four contests.

In addition, the team's defensive-zone coverage has been spotty as the Pens try to get acclimated to Bylsma's mandate that they apply more pressure to the puck-carrier. That being said, the Pens only allowed five goals in three games last week, so the learning curve is apparently beginning to flatten with repetition.

And even though Gonchar's return has brought a certain poise and stability to the Pittsburgh blueline, the presence of No. 55 has not yet yielded a glut of power-play goals, although it has made the man-advantage effort more fluid and unpredictable.

But despite the weak links in the chain, the Penguins have been earned two points more often than not, and when a team is fighting for a crack at the postseason, winning is the only thing that matters.

There are three games remaining on a pivotal five-game road trip, including a Thursday clash with the Florida Panthers, who lead the Pens by two points for sixth in the conference. An emotional battle at Washington looms Sunday afternoon, and then the schedule turns very favorable, with nine of the next 10 games at Mellon Arena.

On top of the intensity of late season match-ups, the trade deadline falls Wednesday afternoon at 3 PM, a.k.a. Ray Shero's last chance this season to make a significant impact on the roster.

All of which means his next download is a lot more likely to be from one of the other 29 teams than from iTunes.

Sorry, Sheryl.

Ray Shero Not Done Yet: Penguins GM Likely Has More up His Sleeve

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:34:37 -0500

Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero dealt one of his team's more marketable players Thursday afternoon, flipping fourth-year defenseman Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for 29-year-old winger Chris Kunitz and tantalizing junior prospect Eric Tangradi.

That the move was made was no shock for longtime Penguins followers. With Sergei Gonchar finally back in action after rehabbing a dislocated shoulder, Kris Letang gradually getting more ice time and increased responsibility, and Alex Goligoski in reserve at the AHL level eagerly anticipating his eventual recall to Pittsburgh, Whitney became the offensive-minded blueliner most likely to be dealt.

Whitney's departure to the Ducks closed his unsavory final act as a Penguin. After overcoming a subpar season to blossom during a run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Whitney underwent major reconstructive surgery on his left foot to correct a chronic alignment issue.

Goligoski took what would have been Whitney's spot on the power play and showed enough skill to get Pens fans thinking about the possibility of dealing Whitney in order to bolster the team's forward depth. By the time Whitney returned to the active roster in late December, he was already on the way out in the minds of many.

Whitney's quality of play since then was below average, dragged down by poor decision-making and spotty coverage in his own zone. Since his top form, as displayed in the '06-'07 season, seemed more distant by the day, Shero took advantage of the widespread perception that Whitney's best is yet to come by tending to a distinct need via the trade market.

But while Whitney may very well develop into a consistent Norris Trophy candidate with Anaheim, Shero made the smart move by discarding of a luxury in order to gain a necessity. Kunitz infuses toughness, physicality, speed, and an above-average scoring touch into the Penguins' lineup, all of which are qualities in short supply this season for the Flightless Fowl.

Starting with Friday's tilt in Chicago, Kunitz immediately pushes Pascal Dupuis down to the third line where his combination of quick feet and sluggish hands belongs. Whether he teams with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin (smart money has him with No. 87), Kunitz will play the net-crashing, space-generating role that has been empty since Ryan Malone caught a plane to Tampa.

Oh, by the way, Kunitz' 16 goals and 19 assists rank him fourth on the Penguins, two points up on Miroslav Satan and three ahead of Jordan Staal.

Speaking of Staal—as I make the smooth segue—the 20-year-old third-line center is under contract long-term just like Whitney was, making him a reasonably priced trading piece at $4 million a year for the next four seasons. For whatever reason, Staal hasn't come close to repeating his rookie year goal total of 29 in the nearly two full seasons since.

But even though Staal has yet to demonstrate that he can be counted on for a consistent effort most nights, he is at such an early stage in his development that it's impossible to write off his offensive potential. The conundrum for Shero is that Staal's contributions thus far don't justify the mid-level salary he will be paid for the next four seasons.

Equally as pressing on Shero's mind is that the Penguins, even with the gritty Kunitz on the roster, are still an elite finisher away from being a complete team. At this stage of the club's development, with a Finals appearance already in the rearview, the goal can only be the Cup, not the stockpiling of young talent.

I believe Shero understands this. If he didn't, he wouldn't have taken the plunge at last year's trading deadline by adding Marian Hossa to Crosby's wing, a move that temporarily nudged the Penguins into the NHL's most exclusive club: Cup contenders.

Other factors play into the likelihood of additional trades, such as the importance of making the postseason and the guaranteed cash flow that results from it, as well as how highly other teams regard Staal, Shero's most valuable (yet attainable) bargaining chip.

While the players still have a quarter of the season left to decide their fate, Shero and other GMs like him are down to their final week to make a meaningful change.

With a third consecutive playoff berth in the balance, I'd bet on Shero to try all he can to tip the scale in the Penguins' favor.

Simmering Sid: Crosby Re-Ignites During Emotional Weekend

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:34:56 -0500

When I wrote last week about Sidney Crosby's atypically uneven season thus far, I had more than his scoring yield on my mind.

After all, how much can you truly complain about what will likely be a third 100-point campaign in four years, which almost absolutely would've made it four in a row to start his career if not for last winter's ankle injury?

No, my nitpicking was directed at the Pittsburgh Penguins' captain's all-too-obvious frustration about the downward direction his team was taking in the standings. Rather than channeling his emotions toward elevating his play, Crosby was irrationally lashing out, distracting himself and his team from the reason the game is played: winning.

Two examples of the negative energy Crosby was exuding during the Penguins' steady descent out of the Eastern Conference's playoff field: his well-publicized and rightly criticized Dec. 18 assault on Atlanta defenseman Boris Valabik's family jewels, and his ill-timed fight with Florida's Brett McLean on Jan. 3 that essentially killed any hope of a victory when Sid was sent to the box for roughly an entire period.

The first bizarre act of aggression went largely unnoticed since it occurred during a 6-3 win, but anyone who has watched the Penguins and Crosby since the lockout knows that such a cheap shot is out of character for the 21-year-old star.

He may irritate opposing teams and fans by opening his mouth more than most on the ice, but Crosby's trademark has become that of a super skilled grinder who battles through checks and plays a physical, yet clean, game.

The sight of Crosby pounding away at Valabik's nether-regions was a clear signal that something was amiss.

Battling McLean after teammate Max Talbot had just ignited the home crowd with a tussle of his own just deepened the impression that a disappointing month-plus had gotten the better of the Pens' usually single-minded leader.

Following an intense weekend that featured games at Philadelphia and Washington back-to-back, it's safe to say Crosby is back into a positive, constructive mindset and in the proper mentality to lead the Penguins as they push for the playoffs.

Like most changes, this return to form happened gradually. As January turned into February, Crosby stopped trying to be an enforcer and got back to being the type of otherworldly playmaker that helped push Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup Final.

Perhaps his renewed focus was brought about by the downtime created by a knee injury sustained Jan. 14, or maybe it was recovering from the effects of the flu that rejuvenated Sid.

The hiring of interim head coach Dan Bylsma and his installation of a more proactive, aggressive pace of play might also have done the trick.

Whatever the catalyst may have been, it's certain that facing off with the traditional rival Flyers and revisiting the coming-to-a-boil feud with the Capitals completed the metamorphosis.

With the now-routine chants of "Crosby sucks!" raining down from the Wachovia Center seats Saturday afternoon, Sid turned in his usual dominant performance against the cross-staters.

Four points later, including the game-winning, billiards-style, poke-in goal in the closing moments, Crosby and the Penguins earned a critical two standings points via a 5-4 thriller.

While the results weren't there the next day at the Verizon Center in D.C., the fire was back for Sid as evidenced by his sparring with Alex Ovechkin and refusal to accept the gang-style tactics of the suddenly boorish Capitals.

As a side note, if you don't think that I immediately regretted writing a couple of complimentary sentences about Ovechkin last week, you're wrong.

As I watched Ovechkin taunt the Penguins' bench after scoring for the second consecutive game, cowardly wave "bye-bye" after scuffling with Crosby, and generally act like a five-year-old during Sunday's nationally-televised game, I vowed never to write another kind word about the disrespectful lout.

And as far as his claim that he's an indestructible "Russian machine," let's wait until his charging/boarding penalties disguised as "big hits" come back around before we assume he can't be injured.

A 2-1-1 week aside, the Penguins still have much to do to truly insert themselves into the bedlam at the bottom of the East's playoff field, where three points separate the fourth-place Flyers from the eighth-place Sabres.

The Hurricanes and Penguins lurk only one and four points back of Buffalo, respectively, but if they have designs on crashing the party they'll likely have to win around 14 of their remaining 21 contests.

Indeed a tall task to ask, but the Penguins have to like their chances with an eight-game homestand awaiting in mid-March.

And oh yeah, that Evgeni Malkin guy is pretty good, too.

Make no mistake, the Pens have no chance of rallying from their midseason malaise without the honed-in, simmering Sid that showed himself this weekend.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin: Why Stagnant Sid Has Been Surpassed by Effervescent Alex

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 15:05:30 -0500

In the wake of Alex Ovechkin’s breathtaking goal Wednesday night against the Canadiens, and following an article by the great Michael Farber for this week’s Sports Illustrated that details the backslide of the Pittsburgh Penguins, one fact is abundantly clear.

In the inevitable comparison between A.O. and fellow fourth-year franchise player Sidney Crosby, 2008-09 certainly belongs to the Washington wizard.

Advantage: Ovechkin.

If 2005-'06 is to be awarded to the Russian on the merit of his Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, if Crosby grabbed 2006-'07 along with the Art Ross scoring crown and the Hart for MVP and followed it up by earning a split decision in 2007-'08 after falling just short of the Stanley Cup, then this season is Ovechkin’s stinging counterpunch.

Even if we put aside their teams’ fortunes this season, the 23-year-old Muscovite has simply enjoyed a better season than his 21-year-old Nova Scotian counterpart. But if this much is clear, the reasons for Alex nosing ahead of Sid are decidedly less so.

Let’s start with motivation. While both superstars constructed banner seasons in 2007-'08—Ovechkin by becoming the first 60-goal NHLer in a decade, Crosby by returning from injury to lead the Penguins’ run to the Cup final—the Capitals’ catalyst had to sit and watch as Sid received the accolades and attention that naturally accompanied the aforementioned playoff success.

Perhaps Ovechkin combined his memories of watching the Pens advance with the frustration of a first-round Game Seven postseason exit and stoked his competitive fire to a level that has not waned deep into February.

Of course, hockey is not an individual game, so it’s impossible to separate a player’s performance from that of the team that surrounds him. After coming together in the second half of last season and dramatically stealing the Southeast title from the Hurricanes, the Capitals returned virtually the same lineup that took flight last spring for another kick at the can.

As youthful thoroughbreds like Ovechkin, Alex Semin, Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom continue to develop, Washington has transformed into a barnstorming outfit that inspires fear throughout the league.

Conversely, Pittsburgh muddled through the middle third of the season, dropping out of the Eastern Conference’s playoff field and forcing general manager Ray Shero to do something to change the team’s downward course.

As it turned out, that “something” was scrapping head coach Michel Therrien and replacing him with Dan Bylsma.

Figuring in the good mojo in Washington and the uncertainties of Pittsburgh, it makes sense that Ovechkin has taken the lead over Crosby for the honor of being the best player of the post-lockout era.

But if we left it at that, we would be ignoring the one aspect of this season that has to be unsettling for any honest Penguins employee, coach, player or fan: Crosby’s on-ice performance has regressed, albeit slightly.

Farber addresses this in Sports Illustrated by taking a look at the revolving doors in place on Sid’s twin flanks. After getting a taste last spring of meshing with a first-rate finisher in Marian Hossa, Crosby’s play this year has been at times out of sync and forced as he efforts to create chemistry with wingers ill-suited for his mile-a-minute game.

Sure, his point production is on pace with his per-game average during his first three seasons, but Sid’s highlight cupboard is surprisingly bare in his fourth year. This dearth of breathtaking maneuvers probably results from the fact we haven’t seen the usual sublime bursts of speed and regularly reliable hands that we are accustomed to witnessing from Crosby.

Perhaps the strain of rehabbing last spring’s high-ankle sprain, or trucking through 20 playoff games or a combination of both have taken a long-term bit out of Crosby’s explosiveness. The effects of a fairly serious injury, the first of Sid’s career, and a grueling NHL season that spilled into June cannot be understated.

Admittedly, these kinds of observations are subjective and anecdotal, but it’s quite evident that Crosby doesn’t have the consistent spring in his stride this season.

At least not yet.

With Evgeni Malkin providing most of the game-altering plays thus far and a new coach in place who will emphasize speed and aggressiveness, maybe the time is right for Crosby to replicate the type of late-season push he pieced together in his rookie campaign, the one that made him the youngest player ever to reach 100 points.

Judging by Thursday’s 5-4 win over Montreal, a change to an attacking philosophy, much like the one put in place by coach Bruce Boudreau in Washington, could be just the elixir for the Penguins’ stagnant season. Crosby and Malkin were at their supersonic best against the Canadiens, dreaming up plays and executing them at an otherworldly rate of speed.

The rest of the Pens, seemingly inspired by Bylsma’s mandate and their twin “Mega Powers,” followed along and delivered one of the most spirited efforts to date, even if it was a bit sloppy for their new boss’ taste.

As far as the Crosby-Ovechkin rivalry is concerned, the only real way to take it to the next level would be a playoff showdown between the Caps and Pens. Two matchups remain in the four-game regular season series, the first of which is set for this Sunday afternoon in the District of Columbia.

Ironically for Alex the Great and the rising Capitals, Pittsburgh victories this Sunday and two weeks from now would go a long way toward giving the Penguins a chance to collide with the Caps in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Defeating Crosby and the Pens in the postseason would be the surest way for Ovechkin to claim the fourth round in what most hockey fans hope will turn out to be a true 15-round heavyweight clash.

The probable prize? The title of Generation’s Best Player.

Islanders 3, Penguins 2 (SO): New Head Coach Dan Bylsma Liveblog

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:00:05 -0500

With the Pittsburgh Penguins playing their first game under interim head coach Dan Bylsma (pictured, with the spectacles), I couldn’t resist live blogging the heck out of a Presidents Day afternoon tilt against the NHL-worst New York Islanders.

2:00 p.m. – CJ Papa welcomes the viewers on MSG+ to Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the Islanders’ traditional Pres Day matinee. I was expecting to have the FSN Pittsburgh feed, but it’ll be interesting to get the opposition point-of-view.

2:02 – Up to the broadcast booth, where Howie Rose (play-by-play) and Billy Jaffe (color) take the reins. They mention that Bylsma was an assistant coach on Long Island a couple of years ago and show a brief interview with the Pens’ new head man. He mentions that he wants the players to play aggressively without installing a whole new system at this point in the season. Faceoff coming up!

2:07 – Papa shows highlights of the Penguins’ three hat tricks against the Isles this season. It’ll be Joey McDonald against Marc-Andre Fleury in the goaltending match-up. The puck is dropped at center ice and we’re under way.

2:10 – Bylsma is shown on the bench holding a “cheat sheet” of sorts. Hey, give him a break, he’s only had this job for 18 hours.

2:13 – New York’s Bruno Gervais enters the Pens’ zone late and whips a shot through traffic that gets a piece of Fleury and tinks off the goalpost. Good break for Pittsburgh. Sidney Crosby then steals a puck behind the Isles’ goal and throws it in front for Ruslan Fedotenko, who can’t get the one-timer on goal. Chances for both sides in the opening five minutes.

2:17 – Sergei Gonchar receives a crossrink feed from Pascal Dupuis and gets his first shot of the game on goal, right into the belly pad of McDonald. Promising sight for Penguins fans to see Sarge jump up into the play smoothly. Jordan Staal tries to stuff a puck by McDonald on the right side but is denied and we head for the “under 14:00” media timeout.

2:21 – Miroslav Satan’s half-speed slapshot is gloved head-high by McDonald. Satan starts the game on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Petr Sykora. This actually means something now that Michel Therrien has been shown the door. He shuffled lines constantly, if you’re not a Pens follower.

2:23 – Sean Bergenheim tries a wraparound on Fleury, who slides to his left and keeps it out despite multiple Isles in his kitchen.

2:25 – A two-on-one led by Tyler Kennedy develops into a three-on-one with Staal trailing. He gets a feed in the low slot with an open net, but his bid for the first goal hits a leg and deflects into the corner. Wow, the Pens really needed that one to go in and erase the memory of Saturday’s loss at Toronto.

2:27 – Defensman Chris Campoli drives the net and redirects a Bergenheim pass into the goal with his skate. It doesn’t look to have been a kicking motion, but the play is under review. Referee Chris Lee addresses the crowd and calls it “a good goal.” I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s 1-0 New York at 11:34 of the first.

2:31 – Jaffe called the Penguins “this Pitt team.” I wasn’t aware this was the University of Pittsburgh’s hockey team playing today on the Island. Sorry, it’s a pet peeve of mine when I hear out of town broadcasters say “Pitt” when they mean Pittsburgh. No one in the ‘Burgh says “Pitt” unless they’re talking about the college.

2:34 – New York’s Tim Jackman is called for holding Kris Letang with his free hand. Good call and the Pens hit the power play for the first time. Oh God, they’ve failed on nine in a row, says Howie Rose.

2:27 – Make it 10 straight power plays without a goal. Just a couple of decent chances generated.

2:40 – That’s why he’s the NHL’s leading scorer! Malkin takes a neutral-zone turnover up the left wing, drags the puck to the middle and unleashes a sick wrister that flies by McDonald to tie the game. It’s Geno’s 25th of the season and it comes unassisted at 18:05.

2:43 – Fleury corrals a rebound of a Richard Park (former Penguin) shot in the final minute. Sharp save there.

2:45 – Jaffe says there is “no question” that Pens GM Ray Shero wants Colby Armstrong back. Ugh. Nice to hear opposition broadcasters talking like they have access to this information. Just call the game and enjoy your last-place team. Rant over. First period over: New York 1, Pittsburgh 1.

3:02 – We are shown a stat that says the last time the Islanders surrendered three hat tricks in a season to the Penguins was 1992, the last Stanley Cup season. I can dream, can’t I? That team was in danger of missing the playoffs in February as well, so don’t laugh too hard.

3:06 – Staal one-times a Kennedy pass that McDonald kicks out nicely. That was probably his best save of the game thus far.

3:08 – Malkin leads a three-on-two rush and just misses setting up Dupuis on the doorstep. The crowd hushed as Geno pushed the puck up ice in open space. Just after that, NY’s Jeff Tambellini gets a quick backhander away that sails wide of the right post. TV timeout.

3:15 – Crosby gets free behind the Isles’ goal and sweeps a shot right on that McDonald smothers. First real scoring chance of the period for the Pens as we’ve hit a lull. No surprise during a midafternoon game, though.

3:19 – Pittsburgh’s Bill Thomas has a two-on-one and tries a pass that’s broken up. He’s better off shooting there. New York’s Kyle Okposo then leads a three-on-one and he does the exact same thing. Those young players, or any players for that matter, should try to keep it simple and at least guarantee a shot on goal.

3:21 – Crosby sets up Dupuis streaking down the left side. His hard wrister hits the outside of the left post, as he tried to go short side. Marian Hossa buries that. Just sayin.’

3:25 – Andy Hilbert gets open for a wrist shot from center point that bounces off of Fleury and into the crease. Frans Nielsen is right there to swat it in on his second attempt to push the Islanders back in front 2-1. It’s Nielsen’s third goal of the year and it comes at 13:26.

3:29 – Fleury fights off a Bill Guerin curl-and-drag wrister from in tight, then Sykora finds Satan for a shot that goes just wide at the other end of the rink. Penalty on the way against the Islanders, which will set up the second Pittsburgh man advantage of the game.

3:32 – This power play does not expire harmlessly! Crosby takes the puck from the right side, closes in and shovels a backhand pass to a charging Ryan Whitney, who buries it into the left side of the cage. 2-2 game on Whitney’s second of the season from Crosby and Gonchar at 17:07. It’s Sarge’s first point of the season in his second game back from a shoulder separation that had kept him inactive since late September.

3:35 – Okposo turns around Brooks Orpik with his free hand and is penalized for it. Pens hop right back on the power play, and Sykora is quickly denied by McDonald off a Gonchar rebound. Suddenly the power play looks confident, and Gonchar is the obvious catalyst from the point. Just like old times.

3:37 – Another quick flurry of Pittsburgh shots at the end of the period leads to a big scrum after the whistle. Malkin threw a couple of punches and will be going to the box along with New York’s Campoli. Malkin actually received a double minor for roughing, and I’ve got to say it’s well deserved. The Islanders will have an abbreviated power play less than a minute into the third period. For now, though, it’s Pittsburgh 2, New York 2 after two.

3:55 – A one-minute, 34-second power play is under way for the home team as the third period commences.

3:58 – Staal steals a Mike Comrie pass shorthanded and flops a 90-foot shot to the Isles’ goal. McDonald stops it, but doesn’t know where it is and is forced to hold for a whistle. That’ll finish the power play as we return to five-on-five play. The time to attack is now for the Penguins.

4:01 – Jon Sim of New York beats the Pens to a loose puck low in the Pittsburgh zone and rips a blast on goal that Fleury kicks to the corner. Key save there.

4:04 – Kennedy curls out of the left corner and sends a wrister on goal with Staal hunting the rebound. There is no rebound as McDonald looks sharp in grabbing it cleanly.

4:09 – Staal blocks Okposo’s shot attempts twice in the same shift, then steals it from him and headmans the puck. Malkin comes on the ice and turns on the speed, cuts to his right and then tries to toss a pass into the crease. McDonald gets a piece of it as Thomas crashed the net and nothing comes out of it.

4:13 – NY’s Blake Comeau makes an appearance in this afternoon’s drama, chopping a shot from five feet away that Fleury denies and covers for the stoppage in play.

4:19 – Butch Goring delivers a report while sitting in a seat in the lower bowl of Nassau. The former Islanders’ player and coach has good points, but he doesn’t look too professional while on camera. Stand up, Butch!

4:21 – Coach Bylsma puts Crosby and Malkin together on a line, accompanied by Fedetenko. They cycle the puck nicely, put the possession time ends with a Hal Gill wrister that McDonald pins to his chest. We’ve reached the final media timeout as we are inside six minutes remaining in regulation time.

4:25 – New York’s Mark Streit leads a transition rush, pulls up in the high slot and finds Hilbert down low. The former Penguin tries to guide it into the right side of the goal, but Fleury slides over for an important save near the 3:00 mark. Game still tied 2-2 as the proceedings tense up a bit.

4:28 – “Last minute of play in the period,” intones the PA man as Gonchar is offside entering the Isles’ zone.

4:29 – Streit gets bottled up by Fedetenko in his own end, and the New York defenseman elects to skate behind his net and play for overtime. Pittsburgh 2, Islanders 2 after 60 minutes of play.

4:31 – Overtime begins and we skate four-on-four. Whitney is stoned as he shoots during a two-on-one. Tremendous chance to end it but McDonald comes up huge.

4:34 – Campoli’s drive is gloved by Fleury in traffic. 2:48 to go in OT.

4:36 – Great end-to-end play as time ticks under a minute until the shootout. Crosby’s high shot is shouldered by McDonald expertly.

4:38 – Park’s final thrust to the Penguins’ zone is fended off by Letang. The puck slides into the corner harmlessly and we will head to the shootout to break this tie. Fantastic action in overtime. Anyone for playing four-on-four all the time? Just a thought.

4:40 – Islanders will shoot first. Nielsen versus Fleury. He turns it to the backhand and scores from right on top of Fleury. Nice goal.

4:41 – Sykora against McDonald. He comes in wide, hesitates and blasts a slapper top shelf to tie it! That’s a new one from Petr Gun. Good to see him trying new things.

4:42 – Tambellini elects to take a wrister from 25 feet and blows it by Flower. He surprised the Penguins netminder there by shooting a full second before most players do.

4:43 – Malkin gets the call from Dan Bylsma. He loses the puck while stickhandling, recovers briefly, then tosses a backhand flip wide. He had McDonald beat, but he got a little flustered and rushed the shot after mishandling.

4:45 – Okposo now has a chance to end it. He glides in slowly and attempts to pull it with him as he shifts toward the left corner, a la Pavel Datsyuk. He’s scored on this move before, but this time he fumbles it and never gets a shot away. That move will either look great or terrible, depending on the execution. Kudos for trying it, though.

4:47 – Crosby has the game on his stick, as Mike Emrick would say; last chance to extend the shootout. He dekes a few times in the low slot, appears to have McDonald beat, but the goalie keeps his right pad down and turns away Sid’s forehand. Crosby could stand to get more inventive. I’ll cut him some slack because he’s fighting the flu, but I expect a little more in a one-on-one situation. Final score: New York 3, Pittsburgh 2 in the shootout.

Postgame – The Penguins earn a crucial point in the standings and are now four points behind the two clubs tied for seventh place, Florida and Buffalo. The Hurricanes stay one point ahead, with 60, and remain in ninth position. 24 games to play, and the Penguins probably have to win 15 or 16 of them.

All in all, it was a fairly good effort by the Pens in Dan Bylsma’s first game behind the bench. I saw improvement defensively, even though both goals were scored from within ten feet of the goal. It would’ve been classic if Pittsburgh walked away from Nassau with two points, but they’re not about to get too upset over a shootout loss at this point. A few more of those this season and they’d be in playoff position.

Next game: At the Igloo vs. slumping Montreal Thursday night. 7:38 p.m. faceoff. They just get bigger from here.

Marc-Andre Fleury Coming On Strong For Penguins

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:16:18 -0500

One of the first articles I wrote for Bleacher Report in December highlighted the importance of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Pittsburgh Penguins' ultimate fortunes.

At the time, the 24-year-old Fleury was ready to return to the ice after nursing a "lower-body injury" back to health.

He had missed a month and the since-traded Dany Sabourin was starting to show wear and fatigue incurred while trying to carry the load of a No. 1 goalie.

My thought was that getting "Flower" back between the red pipes would boost the Penguins back toward the top of the Eastern Conference.

As it turned out, the flightless fowl's problems were much too extensive to be rectified by the insertion of one player, albeit a talented player in a key position.

But now, about two months later and with the Penguins having won three of four in their pursuit of a playoff berth, Fleury has reasserted his status as the third star in Pittsburgh's extraordinary constellation, alongside Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.

While Malkin (two goals, two assists) and Crosby (one goal, three assists and a shootout winner) have played their customary large roles in the past four games, Fleury has been at his best in crucial moments, turning potential losses into opportunities for victories, which his rejuvenated teammates have seized.

In the dramatic overtime win over Tampa Bay last Wednesday, Malkin received the spotlight (and deservedly so) for grabbing three points in the third period and overtime, almost singlehandedly overcoming a three-goal deficit.

What was buried in the aftermath was Fleury's right-leg save on Vinny Prospal in the final minute of regulation, a stop that turned what would've been a devastating loss into an eventual thrilling victory.

Two nights later, as Pittsburgh hosted Columbus at Mellon Arena, the hungry Blue Jackets pushed the pace in the opening period but couldn't push a single shot, including Rick Nash's lightning-quick wraparound attempt, past Fleury.

The Pens would go on to score the critical first goal, then added on in a 4-1 triumph that was partially decided by Columbus' inability to break through early.

Two nights ago, Fleury outdueled counterpart Brian Boucher in a 2-1 Pittsburgh shootout win over best-in-the-West San Jose, getting in front of 36 Sharks' shots and allowing only Joe Pavelski's jam play to squeeze by.

Two of those 36 saves stand out: a denial of Mike Grier's breakaway late in the third and a stretching stop of Dan Boyle in the final round of the shootout to clinch the big win.

Three games, three wins that could have vaporized if not for the heroics of Fleury. And if you think a youngster with his pedigree should be expected to play at a high level consistently, remember that, with few exceptions, NHL goaltenders have been known to take time to mature into peak form.

Just ask Carey Price, the Montreal Canadiens' neophyte netminder who beat out Fleury for the Eastern Conference's starting goalie spot in the All-Star Game.

The 21-year-old sophomore has seen his level of play sink during his team's recent funk, allowing 19 goals in his last five starts and 12 in his last two.

Admittedly Price and Fleury have different styles, but both gentlemen entered the NHL with limited pro experience and have been forced to do considerable learning while trying to maintain the duties of a No. 1 goalie at the highest level.

The one edge "Flower" has over "Jesus Price" is an extended playoff run of outstanding play. Whereas Price is eager to erase memories of his second-round meltdown last spring, Fleury can rest assured that he has the proven ability to succeed on hockey's largest stage.

Such confidence has been tested this season with the Penguins in the bottom third of the league in shots allowed per game (30.8) and a commitment to team defense only becoming evident since the coaching staff installed a more passive neutral-zone trap in the past month.

If you watched the Penguins-Red Wings match-up this past Sunday, you heard NBC analyst Pierre McGuire repeatedly harp upon Fleury's supposedly sub-par rebound control as if it was the primary reason the Pens lost to the champs 3-0.

If McGuire had been truly paying attention, he would've seen that Fleury has actually been one of the Pens' better performers in spite of the increased number of shots he has faced.

His goals-against-average is mediocre due to the amount of rubber he's seeing, but I believe his play to be a bright spot in this uneven season.

Remember Fleury's recent sparkling efforts if the Penguins rally to qualify for the post-season. Even though others may garner the headlines and highlights, Pens fans should be grateful the "Flower" is planted in Pittsburgh for years to come.

Red Wings 3, Penguins 0: NHL on NBC Liveblog

Matt Gajtka — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:14:05 -0500

The Red Wings invade Mellon Arena for the first time since Game Six of the Stanley Cup Final. Why not liveblog it, right here on Bleacher Report?

12:29 p.m. – Welcome to Apartment 2B right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan! The NBC telecast kicks off with the great Mike Emrick narrating over live pictures from outside and then inside Mellon Arena. We see the Penguins will be wearing their throwback powder-blue third jerseys, which they haven’t had much success in lately.

12:33 – Back to the NBC studios at 30 Rock where Bill Patrick brings us highlights from yesterday’s NHL action. Of interest to Penguins fans: the Panthers lost to the Capitals 3-1, keeping Florida just one point ahead of Pittsburgh for ninth. Unfortunately, the Hurricanes killed Phoenix 7-2, so the Hurricanes are two points up on the Pens in the East’s eighth spot.

12:36 – Marc-Andre Fleury vs. Ty Conklin in net. This will be a bit awkward since Conks played a huge role last year in Pittsburgh when Fleury was out with a high-ankle sprain. Game on!

12:38 – Sidney Crosby drops a pass to Pascal Dupuis in the high slot, who rips a low shot. Conklin is solid with the butterfly save.

12:39 – Marian Hossa takes the ice to rampant boos from the Mellon congregation. They don’t like him anymore. Also, both sides seem a bit sluggish, which we can probably attribute to the early starting time. Most guys are used to taking naps or having lunch at this time. Routine is everything during an 82-game schedule.

12:44 – Pittsburgh resident Bill Thomas draws a penalty against former Pen Mikael Samuelsson. Power play on the way courtesy of a holding call on No. 37 in white.

12:47 – The power play ends with just a couple of middling chances for the Pens. With Sergei Gonchar getting very close to returning from a shoulder separation, a Penguins fan can’t help but hope his poise at the point will help this PP unit become dangerous again.

12:50 – Crosby and Samuelsson get minor penalties for slashing and cross-checking, respectively. Four-on-four play upcoming with a ton of skill on the ice.

12:54 – Halfway through the first period, and neither team is giving much ground. Niklas Kronwall goes off for tripping Pittsburgh’s Dupuis in the neutral zone. Malkin gets a great chance off a rebound that bounced over his stick in the crease. “Geno” follows up and is denied by the glove hand of Conklin.

12:56 – No further chances for the Pens, who are now 0-2 with the man advantage. Recent call-up Luca Caputi (great name) mixes it up physically with Pavel Datsyuk. TV timeout.

12:59 – Delayed penalty against Pittsburgh, which will put the NHL’s best power play on the ice surface. Dupuis (interference) is the culprit. Jordan Staal steals a puck at the blueline and skates down the left wing, but he’s overtaken.

1:01 – Malkin tears a puck away from Jiri Hudler and tries to spring Maxime Talbot, but the puck bounces past him. Great penalty-killing so far from the home side; they’re intercepting passes and forcing the Red Wings to dump in, but they refuse to do so, leading to turnovers.

1:03 – Talbot runs over Dan Cleary in the near-side corner. Big hit just as the Penguins return to full strength. Pierre McGuire, between the benches again for NBC, notes that the players’ “body clocks” are starting to adjust and the pace of play is increasing. He’s rinkside, so I’ll take his word for it.

1:07 – Ryan Whitney lays out Ville Leino just over the Pens’ line. Whits has been trying to pick up his physical play lately, and it’s been effective so far.

1:08 – Another penalty called against Detroit. This time it’s Kris Draper sent to the box for holding the stick. Pens win the faceoff and Kris Letang comes this close to slipping a wrister through Conklin’s legs. Conks gets the whistle.

1:10 – Whitney fans on a shot from the top of the left circle, wasting a good setup from Crosby. Three power plays are now gone without the important first goal.

1:13 – We’ve come to the end of one period of play—Detroit 0, Pittsburgh 0. The Wings seemed content to let the Penguins come at them after playing yesterday at Joe Louis Arena. Hopefully the intensity picks up for the rest of the game, because that was honestly pretty disappointing for such an anticipated matchup. Perhaps both teams are trying to treat it like just another game and keep their composure. If that’s the case, they’ve been very successful.

1:18 – McGuire and Mike Milbury are “at each other’s throats” from a makeshift studio somewhere in the bowels of the Mellon. This act is really tiresome. NBC needs to get a real professional broadcaster in there to run the show. In the words of Ron Burgundy, “What is this, amateur hour?!”

1:22 – NBC plays a video package about the Wings’ Stanley Cup run last year and their tradition of winning. They also manage to throw in a clip of Crosby and Hossa buzzing around the goal during the final seconds of last year’s Game Six. Thanks for that. McGuire throws it to commercial, but not before taking a shot at Milbury’s sorry experience as Islanders’ GM. Ooooh, burn!

1:30 – All set for the second period! Emrick and Eddie Olczyk talk about Staal’s dominant performance in the third period of the Penguins’ comeback win in Detroit in November. Ahh, memories.

1:32 – Malkin cruises through the neutral zone, then leaves a pass for Hal Gill to step into. Another good stop by Conklin and there is no rebound.

1:35 – Chances at both ends, finally! Samuelsson’s flip shot is shouldered away by Fleury from in tight, then Caputi takes a lead pass down the left wing and rips a rising slapper that juuuust misses nailing the upper-right corner.

1:38 – Hossa hears the boos, then steps between the circles for a shot that Fleury gets in front of. The follow-up chance comes to Hossa’s stick five feet away, but he can’t get a clean attempt away and the Pens clear to center.

1:41 – The Wings appear to have their legs under them, and Henrik Zetterberg gets hooked upon entrance to the Pittsburgh zone. Detroit’s transition game is starting to get revved up, and now the visitors will enjoy their second power play. After the commercial, that is.

1:43 – Petr Sykora is the man in the box (paging Alice In Chains) for the powder blue boys. The Wings keep trying to force-feed Hossa in front, but the Pens are ready for it each time and they manage to clear it down the ice.

1:45 – We have our first goal. Zetterberg simply throws a puck on goal from the right point that Fleury kicks out, but right to Datsyuk driving the net. P-Datty buries his 21^st of the season for a 1-0 Detroit lead. It’s a power play goal.

1:47 – The Wings keep the pressure on, getting a quick succession of shots from within 10 feet. Fleury stops them all, but the Penguins are starting to rely too much on their goaltender. Just as I type this, Eric Godard, of all people, gets sprung on a semi-breakaway on the right side. The big man gets a good shot away, but Conklin is able to swat it to the end boards.

1:50 – Tyler Kennedy breaks in on an abbreviated two-on-one and elects to shoot. Good decision, but “ConkBlock” is equal to the task again. TV timeout as I start to get flashbacks to Conklin’s tremendous performance for the Pens last season.

1:52 – Detroit leads 18-11 in the shots on goal category and Conklin freezes another loose puck. He’s controlling the game right now…and he snags another shot, this time a 30-footer from Malkin. Five minutes to go in the middle frame.

1:54 – Staal “smears” Hossa against the glass, says “Doc” Emrick. Nice verb. The crowd begins to groan as the Penguins are forced to regroup yet again. Flashes of last year’s Game Six. Ugh.

1:56 – Crosby picks off a pass at center and sets up Dupuis, who slid one over to Kennedy in tight, but he can’t corral it in time to beat a sprawling Conklin. Good chance there.

1:57 – Hossa uses a power move to bull his way to the Pens goal and gets away a tough shot that “Flower” deflects to the far corner. Both teams are eagerly after the next goal as the second period reaches its final few minutes.

1:59 – One minute to play in the period. Max Talbot jams a puck toward the goal and it pops into the air and lands in the crease. Malkin swats at it and Crosby is tripped in the low slot. Power play for Pittsburgh.

2:01 – Great chances for the Penguins as Whitney and Malkin get strong shots away from the perimeter and their teammates drive the net. Conklin is on his angle, though, and finally pins the puck to the ice to earn a much-needed stoppage in play. Off the faceoff there’s a scrum in the near corner, but nothing comes of it as time expires. The Penguins will have the second half of the power play waiting when they start the third period.

2:05 – McGuire compares the Red Wings to the…Allegheny River. I can’t take it anymore so I’m going to hang up my sweaty hockey gear. See you in the third.

2:20 – And we’re back! Power play has a minute and change remaining. Now less than that as the Wings force it to center again. Crosby makes a sweet sliding play to hold the puck in the zone a few moments later, but Letang can’t make a clean pass back to Sid and the Wings clear once more. Power play over.

2:23 – Bounding puck comes to the front of the Pens’ net and Samuelsson chops it on goal. Fleury with another good save and cover.

2:25 – Zetterberg and Matt Cooke collide violently in the Wings’ zone and Cooke takes an elbow to the chops. No penalty as it looked like Zetterberg was trying to defend himself while passing the puck up ice. Tough break for the Pens.

2:27 – Datsyuk dekes to the forehand in the slot and gets a clean look at the net, but he misses to Fleury’s blocker side. Wow, I can’t believe he missed that phenomenal chance resulting from a “Datsyukian deke,” as they would say on FSN Detroit. Lucky turn of events for Pittsburgh.

2:30 – Dupuis chases down a loose puck in the left corner and whips a drive on goal from a tough angle. He got a lot of pace on it, but Conklin should make that save every time and he does with minimal effort. Six minutes into the third and the Pens haven’t generated a good opportunity yet.

2:33 – It’s been a passive game, for sure, but the Penguins are going to have to open it up if they want to have a chance to win. Hossa gets some more boos, but they’re much quieter now. The fans have other things to worry about, like if their boys are going to tie this one up.

2:36 – Kennedy spins a lead pass for Crosby as the captain flies to the net, but the feed is just a bit too far and Conklin is able to cut it off. Pittsburgh maybe coming on?

2:37 – Nevermind. Hossa, the most hated man in the ‘Burgh, makes a phenomenal play to make it 2-0 Detroit. He controls the puck along the left boards, carries it to the high slot on his backhand, then precisely places a beautiful shot off the post and in. That was too cruel and it’s the kind of play the Penguins have been missing this year. Now it’s panic time…and the Pens will be shorthanded after the commercial break.

2:41 – Eight minutes to go and Mellon Arena sounds like a funeral home. The Wings battle away along the wall. They’re just trying to kill time now, and you can’t blame them. Datsyuk is denied from in close by a stretching Fleury. The “Flower” has played well, but his teammates haven’t done much in front of him. Perhaps the neutral-zone trap has them playing a bit too passively? Hard to tell, but we’ve reached our final TV timeout.

2:46 – McGuire suggests putting Staal on Crosby’s line to spark the team. I’d try anything at this point.

2:47 – Good shift from the “Mega Powers” line as Sid and Geno both make attempts to stuff the puck home, but the bounces didn’t come to the blue jerseys in front of the net. Dupuis also gets a hack in there but Conklin freezes it again; he’s three and a half minutes away from shutting out his old mates.

2:50 – Datsyuk is at it again! He slaps a shot from the left side that knuckles in on Fleury. Datsyuk then beats Letang to his own rebound, like a good basketball player, and finesses a backhand off the goaltender and in. 3-0 Red Wings. The Penguins’ defense got way too loose, but when you’re trailing, offense is the priority. Not too surprising but still disturbing.

2:54 – Sykora is robbed by Conklin on probably the best opportunity of the game for the Pens. Good one-timer, but Conks is on fire. Must be nice to play for Detroit. Wait, Chris Osgood isn’t dealing with it too well. Cheap shot, I know, but it’s true.

2:55 – Time runs out and Ty Conklin has the shutout, his sixth of the season. He and Zetterberg rub it in, er, talk to Pierre on the ice as the three stars are announced. The crowd, or what remains of it, files out quietly. There was a ton of emotion early, but the Penguins never did anything to keep that passion flowing.

Playing a passive game worked early, but the Wings are very comfortable in a tight, low-scoring contest and they made it look routine. That’s why they’re the champs. And obviously, the Penguins still have a ways to go to solve their problems after this tough result. San Jose comes to the Igloo Wednesday, so it gets no easier.

The Joy of "Geno": Evgeni Malkin Making Strong Case for NHL MVP

Matt Gajtka — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:19:07 -0500

There are many aspects of the 2008-'09 season that have gone wrong for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With 29 games to play, the defending Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference champions are 25-23-5 and are currently one point short of the East's final playoff spot.

Simply seeing those results, especially after a 15-6-4 start, is enough to know the Penguins' plans for a third-consecutive 100-point season have gone seriously askew.

But despite all the obvious negatives, one young man has delivered consistent production and shown accelerated growth throughout this up-and-down campaign. One person has established himself on the National Hockey League's Mount Rushmore of super-elite competitors.

And no, it hasn't been Sidney Crosby.

Nothing against the captain, who is plugging through another superlative statistical season despite playing through a persistent knee injury and perhaps general fatigue, but Evgeni Malkin has made a significant leap in his third NHL season, and his transformation is evident both on and off the ice.

A quick look at the numbers reveals the upgrades Malkin has made in his game. It's no secret anymore in any corner of the league that "Geno" has a death grip on the scoring race—his 24 goals and 55 assists outpace the more celebrated Crosby and Alex Ovechkin by 10 and 12 points, respectively.

Additionally, the onetime streaky 22-year-old has spread his output around without spreading it too thin: he has made an appearance on the scoresheet in 42 of Pittsburgh's 53 games.

Also, after playing in every regular season and playoff contest last year, Malkin has yet to miss a game this year, thus pouring a generous amount of durability atop his lengthy point streaks.

For those who have observed the man from Magnitogorsk since his explosive arrival on the NHL scene in the fall of 2006, it goes without saying that Malkin backchecks with just as much energy as he expends in the offensive zone.

His +17 rating on a club that's given up one more goal than it's scored on the season might be the most striking figure on his stats page.

But despite all these gaudy numbers, probably the best argument for the rise of Evgeni is the third period Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Sure, he was good throughout the contest, including his crumpling of Bolts blueliner Andrei Meszaros with a brutal shoulder check in the second frame, but the newly-appointed alternate captain validated the "A" on his chest with a breathtaking late-game performance.

With the Penguins trailing Tampa three-nil early in the third, Malkin picked off an opposition clearing attempt at the blue line, fed Pascal Dupuis for a glorious one-timer, then banged home the rebound off the crossbar to give the home team life.

Later, after 15 minutes of dominant puck possession, frightening physicality, and superlative on-ice awareness, "Geno" received the puck from teammate Crosby along the goal line during a power play and jammed it into the crease.

The resulting goalmouth scramble yielded the tying score off the stick of Petr Sykora, and ultimately set up Malkin's thrilling final act in overtime.

By the time Jordan Staal stole the puck from Tampa's Cory Murphy and fed it to a charging Malkin in the low slot for the game winner, the Mellon Arena crowd had witnessed one of the greatest individual performances in franchise history.

Yep, it turns out Versus analyst Darren Eliot said it best after Malkin burned New Jersey goaltender Martin Brodeur for a spectacular goal in October '06: "Shades of Mario." Surely Lemieux himself would agree after observing from his owner's box last night.

Make no mistake, the Penguins are going to need more than Malkin Magic to get another kick at the postseason can.

But with reports that the publicly reticent superstar was very vocal in the locker room before Wednesday's third period, maybe the irrepressible Russian is quickly developing into the kind of leader than can inspire with words, not just extraordinary deeds.

Considering Malkin's English is still quite rudimentary and broken, one can assume that the emotion in his voice will be much more important than his diction, at least in the near future.

Suddenly, the idea that the quietly intense Crosby may be in line to play Gretzky to Malkin's more exuberant Messier starts to make a lot of sense.

Forget the historical implications of the Penguins' stellar duo, though. For now, let the suddenly loquacious Malkin speak his mind after carrying the team to a 4-3 victory: "We need playoffs."

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And if Pittsburgh does indeed "get playoffs," Malkin gets my vote for MVP.

Super Bowl XLIII: A Steelers Fan Comes Back Around

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:59:22 -0500

While hockey is my sport of choice and the Pittsburgh Penguins will likely be my favorite sports team forever, many of my most poignant memories as a Steel City sports fan come courtesy of the Steelers.

In fact, leading up to last night's Super Bowl, my all-time sports memory was the Steelers' triumph in Detroit three years ago and the fifth Lombardi Trophy that resulted from the 21-10 defeat of the Seattle Seahawks.

Even though the Penguins have captured a pair of Stanley Cups in my lifetime, I was only six and seven-years old at the time and a few years away from falling in love with sports. Thus, I still can only wonder what it's like to cheer on a team on its way to an NHL title.

Because of these facts, one would assume I've been nothing but loyal and loving toward the franchise that gave me the vicarious joy of being emotionally invested throughout a championship season.

Well, you know what they say about assumptions, right?

The truth of this fan's experience is that it soured a bit between the Steelers' fifth and sixth Super Bowl victories. Whether that bitterness originated from Pittsburgh's tepid title defense in 2006, the grating nature of ESPN's year-round over-coverage of the NFL, and/or general jealousy about football's elevated stature in the modern American sporting hierarchy (a position I believe hockey deserves to share) is inconsequential.

My strained relationship with the Steelers and, by extension, the NFL reached its nadir this summer, when I vowed not to pay attention to any of the black and gold's preseason action in the hopes of not becoming as attached as always come September. Since I lived out of the Pittsburgh market, it was actually fairly simple to avoid the usual hype buildup that engulfs every August in western Pennsylvania and whereabouts.

When I moved to Grand Rapids, Mich., a couple of weeks into the NFL regular season, I thought my self-imposed Steelers embargo would only get easier to perpetuate. After all, most football fans in the Great Lakes state have become NFL atheists due to the dilapidated condition of the Detroit Lions.

But a funny thing happened on the way to putting Pittsburgh's favorite sons in my rear-view mirror. With Steelers games being nothing if not consistent television ratings-grabbers, almost every NFL Sunday in West Michigan this autumn involved the team I was trying to forget.

The truth of the matter, though, is that I cared too damn much about the fair city with the three rivers to turn my back on the Steelers. Where I'm from, rooting for the Black and Gold is as much a part of life as attending church and going to school. Quitting on the Rooneys would be akin to changing my gloriously Polish last name.

It's just not happening.

Sure, there were other reasons for draping the Terrible Towel on the TV again. I still believe the Steeler Way is the only right way to succeed in the NFL. I have a genuine affection for Mike Tomlin and his respectful yet inspiring manner. I love the style and substance of homegrown players Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, Santonio Holmes, Willie Parker, Lamar Woodley, Heath Miller, and company.

My reversal of intention and renewal of faith were certainly rewarded Sunday evening, as the Steelers pieced together a harrowing 27-23 squeaker over the very game Arizona Cardinals.

The record sixth Lombardi Trophy for Pittsburgh didn't come without its smudges of course, what with the league's No. 1 defense surrendering a 13-point fourth quarter lead and the pedestrian offensive line appearing to try to literally throw the game.

But whatever sketchiness there was last night was buffed out by transcendent performances by 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, James Harrison, Holmes, and most of all, Roethlisberger. Whom would you rather have leading a last-minute, no-huddle desperation drive to save the season than "Big Ben" from Findlay?

Regardless of how the proceedings went down in Tampa, despite my natural attachment to hockey, and no matter how much I resent the exclusive royal treatment afforded to King Football in my country, the margin this fan's personal championship scoreboard has undeniably increased.

Steelers 2, Penguins 0.

Forget the semantics, though.

Let's celebrate, Pittsburgh!

National Hatred League: Animosity at All-Time High in NHL

Matt Gajtka — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:45:14 -0500

Let me make sure I understand you, Chris Osgood.

You claim that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, and by extension the entire league has it in for your Detroit Red Wings because stars Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom were forced to sit out Tuesday's tilt in Columbus, a 3-2 Blue Jackets overtime win, after skipping out on the NHL's All-Star weekend in Montreal.

Fair enough. I'll temporarily ignore that the franchise you're lucky enough to play for is probably the most popular one in America, that your team leads the NHL in road attendance while routinely selling out arenas as the visitor, and that the presence of the Winged Wheel played a large part in the very healthy ratings garnered by last year's Stanley Cup Final.

For now, I'll forget about the fallacious nature of your claims and your apparent paranoia and focus instead on the New York Yankees-caliber hate that you say is raining down upon Joe Louis Arena and its primary tenant.

I narrow in on the hate because there seems to be a tremendous amount of it spewing forth from various sources around the NHL, most of it directed toward other hockey-related entities.

As a public service, I have accumulated a rudimentary list of grievances floating through the National Hate, er, Hockey League in recent memory.

Here we go: Everyone hates the Red Wings because they win. The San Jose Sharks are chokers. Sidney Crosby is a whiner, crier, diver, Bettman sell-out, secondary-assist compiler, and might actually be female.

Alex Ovechkin is a hot-dogging caveman who shows up the opponent. Florida, Tampa, Atlanta, Nashville, etc. don't deserve an NHL team. Gary Bettman ruined hockey and may in fact be a David Stern-planted demon with designs on expanding the league to 42 teams.

Sean Avery is a parasite who should never skate a shift again. Fans of the Blackhawks, Capitals, Penguins, or any other team that recently experienced a huge positive turnaround are bandwagoners.

Oh, and the All-Star Game stinks.

At the same time, let's not disparage legitimate on-ice rivalries like Detroit-Chicago, Canadiens-Bruins, Flames-Oilers, Sharks-Ducks, Rangers-Devils, or any game involving the Philadelphia-Pittsburgh-Washington trio. These sublime confrontations are the gasoline that propels the NHL's engine.

But with the NHL playing from behind the NFL, MLB, and NBA in the United States, does hockey really need to indulge in petty infighting?

Don't get me wrong, anger and animosity always draw attention from media and fans alike; however, all the time and energy wasted tearing each other down can probably be better channeled toward promoting the sport itself.

On the other hand, though, maybe the fact that puckheads everywhere are at each other's throats is a promising sign for the NHL. After all, you never hear anyone talk about "promoting the game" in the NFL because the players, coaches, GMs, and owners are too concerned about beating each other's heads in to care about much else.

I'll let you folks decide for yourselves whether too much internal bickering is good or bad for the sport of hockey's general health.

For now, it's just jarring to see the sheer amount of hatred pulsing through the NHL's veins. In a passionate sport such as hockey, perhaps having some vitriol spill over the dasher boards is simply inevitable.

Although for this writer/fan, an honest on-ice battle beats an off-ice slam every time.

Hockey's International Flavor Bodes Well for Future of the Sport

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:37:19 -0500

As I watched a trio of Russian dynamos excite and entertain, a towering Slovak flex his shooting muscle (and, by extension, his stick), a young man from Ontario unleash his lightning-quick stride, and a journeyman goaltender from Flint, Mich., steal some of the Sunday evening spotlight by denying a man of Nigerian descent, all in the view of the second-largest Francophonic city in the world, I couldn't help but think one thing.

Hockey is the perfect sport for our modern, interconnected, globalized times.

I'll leave it to Thomas Friedman, Fareed Zakaria, and the rest of our worldly scribes to describe exactly how it's happening, but the fact remains that the political, ethnic, and religious boundaries that divide us are steadily fading.

In the country in which I reside, we recently inaugurated our first minority President to great and much-deserved fanfare. Furthermore, in a couple more decades Caucasians are projected to make up less than half of America's population.

This isn't your grandfather's world, it isn't your father's world, and heck, it isn't even your older cousin's world. (You know, the one who still lives with his parents.)

Applying this knowledge to the sporting landscape, it's easy to pick out the sports that appear to be the best equipped to thrive on a planet where "It's a Small World After All" isn't just a song from an old Disney movie—it's the truth.

Of course, soccer is uniquely positioned for expanded growth. Seemingly every nation cares about it, and it's extremely cheap to play, which is a part of basketball's appeal. Soccer is also the only major team sport in which international competition and regular league play share the marquee, giving it a two-pronged interest-generating attack.

Tennis is a sport played and followed worldwide as well. The four Grand Slam tournaments are competed on three continents, and at least five continents have produced significant characters in the sport's collective history.

Make no mistake though, hockey is third on the list of globalized athletics. While it has yet to create a meaningful foothold in Africa, South America, and Australia, the game inspires great passion across Europe and northern Asia in addition to the obvious Canadian hotbed.

Due largely to the presence of the sport's premier league, the NHL, many cities, states, and regions in America have contracted puck fever. Places like Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and the entirety of New England can rival any foreign counterpart in affection for the game.

Contrast hockey's international presence to basketball, baseball, and especially football. Hard to argue against hockey as the most prepared in that group of four for the incredible shrinking world.

Sure, baseball has Latin America and Japan, and basketball enjoys an increasing presence in Eurasia, but the composition of the Major Leagues and the NBA looks downright xenophobic compared with the cultural cornucopia that is the National Hockey League.

So enjoy the continuing exploits of Alex Ovechkin and Alex Kovalev, of Evgeni Malkin and Zdeno Chara, of Andrew Cogliano, Tim Thomas, and Jarome Iginla.

We as sports fans can either deny the globalization of our games or embrace it.

Meanwhile, we as hockey fans can be grateful our sport is so ahead of the times.

Five Reasons To Love The NHL's All-Star Weekend

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:48:46 -0500

Whether triggered by the phenomenal success of the two-year-old Winter Classic, the controversy over the NHL allowing voting via text message or general media bitterness, the common hockey fan has been bombarded this season with negativity toward the All-Star Game and its surrounding festivities.

In the face of all the criticism, gird your loins for what is probably the only article on Al Gore's Internet that praises the friendly mid-season showcase of the greatest sport on Earth.

Submitted for your approval, here are the Top Five Reasons to Watch the National Hockey League's All-Star Weekend:

1. The Skills Competition — I realize it's got some crazy, elongated, sponsor-laden official title now, but no matter what you call it, it's always exhilarating to watch the world's best hockey players putting specific crowd-friendly skills to the test.

If it's the NHL's fastest men attempting to skate a breathtaking lap around the rink in record time or elite snipers taking aim at those foam bull's-eyes placed in the four corners of the net or even a handful of superstars testing their imaginations in the breakaway challenge, I'm always interested to see which man is the current master of a particular hockey skill.

The skills competition in hockey is boiled down to its basic offensive elements — and a reminder that this sport or any sport, is built on a foundation of fundamentals.

Seeing the best of the best employing these building blocks makes the NHL instantly more accessible.

2. Players Without Helmets — While we're on the subject of accessibility, my one impossible dream for the NHL is a return to the days in which the fans could actually see what the players looked like.

The speed and power of today's game prohibits such cranial nudity, but we can get a much-appreciated injection of individuality during the skills competition.

Also, included in my unrequited fantasy is the triumphant return of "hockey hair." In case you haven't noticed, there are way too many short-haired skaters in the modern era. Grow it out and show some personality!

3. Pickup Game Nostalgia — Everyone who's played hockey at some point in their lives has partaken in at least a few pickup games during which defense was a rumor and goaltenders were left for dead.

The All-Star Game allows all of us to witness the world's premier players mimic that all-offense mindset and discard any modicum of back checking conscience.

Think about it: despite the prevalence of defensive systems and the stifling of creativity fostered by over coaching, the most fun you can have playing hockey is when your first thought is the opponent's goal.

That's why we play, isn't it?

4. Fantasy Lines — Apologies to the rotisserie junkies out there, but the real fantasy sports take place during All-Star showcases.

Where else can Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Zdeno Chara, Jarome Iginla, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Ryan Getzlaf, Joe Thornton, Evgeni Nabokov, and Tim Thomas be on the same ice sheet?

Throw in the injured likes of Sidney Crosby, Pavel Datsyuk, and Nicklas Lidstrom and you have enough star power to blind a continent.

5. For Spite — Just like Jerry Seinfeld returning a coat to the store just to throw it in the face of the salesman, good-spirited hockey fans can take in and enjoy the midwinter get-together to prove to the jaded writers and fans that prattle on about how much the All-Star Game stinks that we can think for ourselves.

Standing up for something you're passionate about?

Hockey supporters are experts at that.

Sidney Crosby Puts NHL's Interests First By Attending All-Star Game

Matt Gajtka — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:29:50 -0500

Be sure Pittsburgh Penguins center, superstar and captain Sidney Crosby has plenty of selfish reasons to be in Montreal this weekend for the National Hockey League's All-Star Game festivities.

Likely first among those reasons is that it has to feel good to be validated as the most popular hockey player on the planet on the merit of nearly two million fan votes. Although a player of Crosby's humble nature would never say as much, it's got to be an ego trip of the highest degree.

Also high on the list of personal motivations is that Crosby, a native of the Atlantic-coast province of Nova Scotia, rooted for the Canadiens as a boy and presumably still reserves a spot in his cardiac tissue for Le Club de Hockey Canadien. The Canadiens are currently commemorating their 100th year of existence, with the All-Star Game and surrounding hoopla serving as the crown jewel.

But if Sid really wanted to look out for number one this weekend, he would stay back in Pittsburgh to rest his ailing left knee.

Instead, No. 87 will be there for the NHL during its annual showcase. Despite the increasingly audible complaints about seemingly every part of the All-Star package, the NHL places a great deal of emphasis on the event because of the opportunities for corporate synergy and outreach to casual sports fans.

By putting the interests of Gary Bettman and Co. ahead of his own health, Crosby is simply continuing a trend of off-ice selflessness that he has taken great care to maintain. For a young man who has been a Canadian celebrity since his childhood and an international sporting icon since his 2005 arrival in the NHL, he has handled the subsequent attention and demands for his time with consistent professionalism.

Crosby was forced to miss last year's All-Star Game due to a serious high-ankle sprain, and there is no doubt the prospect of not being present for two straight league extravaganzas weighed at least somewhat in his decision to play this time around.

So should Penguins fans be concerned the team's leader is putting his wellness and consequently the prospects of his team returning to the playoffs at risk because the NHL "needs" him to be there?

I say no, simply because no one who has followed Crosby's career would have reason to believe anything but the Stanley Cup is his ultimate goal. Still, as the most visible player in his sport, Sid has to strike what can often be a tenuous balance between competing at the highest possible level on the ice and selling the game away from rink.

Of course, probably the best way for Crosby to promote hockey to an audience that is becoming more resistant to traditional public relations and advertising is to put up bushels of points while leading his team to increasing levels of success.

That being said, it certainly can't hurt for the NHL to have its most renowned commodity and one of the top talents in the game on the ice in arguably the best hockey city in North America. The promise of youthful talent plus the gravitas of tradition is a formula sure to be appealing for an event that is losing ground in the court of public opinion.

With Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk, the only two members of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings invited, opting out due to nagging physical issues, the NHL front office should be especially grateful for Crosby showing up and suiting up this weekend.

No matter what the ratio of self-interest to selflessness was, Sidney Crosby has once again made the right decision for the National Hockey League.

No need to thank him, Mr. Bettman.

One Week, One Step Forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Matt Gajtka — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:57:52 -0500

As the Pittsburgh Penguins flew into Philadelphia a week ago for a tilt against the Atlantic-leading Flyers, the entire season seemed to be at stake, at least as much as it can be in the second week of January.

Last year's Atlantic Division champions and the Eastern Conference's 2008 representatives in the Stanley Cup Final were 20-19-4 following a somber road trip to Nashville and Denver that produced no points and further frustration.

As I chronicled last week, instead of suffering yet another loss in the franchise's traditional city of horrors, the Penguins seized the rivalry game as an opportunity to re-embrace the key to their success last season—team defense.

Let's not forget the Penguins surrendered the third-fewest goals in the East last year and were downright stingy in the playoffs as they went 12-2 before being humbled by the Detroit Red Wings.

Through 47 games this season, the Penguins have scored enough goals to win; their 2.98 goals-per-game average ranks ninth in the National Hockey League.

Unfortunately, whether it can be blamed on poor positioning, leaky goaltending, injuries, or a combination of these, Pittsburgh has tumbled to 25th on the defensive charts by giving up an even three tallies against per contest.

But while it's going to take a while to boost their defensive ranking merely into the mediocre range, a noticeable commitment to sound hockey principles like backchecking and strong play along the boards has helped the Penguins go 3-1 in the past week and rise back into the East's top eight, albeit tenuously.

Following the aforementioned 4-2 triumph in Philadelphia last Tuesday, the Penguins returned to the 'Burgh to begin a five-game homestand at Mellon Arena. Despite a 6-3 loss Wednesday against Washington, the Penguins enjoyed the better scoring chances through two periods before a relapse into loose play ended hopes of two wins in two nights.

With a host of regulars, headlined by captain Sidney Crosby and elite defender Rob Scuderi, out for Friday's match-up with Anaheim, the Black and Gold were able to piece together an airtight 3-1 stifling of the Ducks.

Grinder Matt Cooke chipped in a pair of goals, the Penguins stayed patient against a steady adversary, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made a handful of key saves to preserve the victory.

The excitement of two wins in three games was tempered by the fact that the Penguins had not won consecutive contests since mid-November. The New York Rangers were next on the docket on Sunday afternoon, a team that was 3-0 against Pittsburgh coming in, so it was evident that simply relying on positive momentum was not going to cut it against the Blueshirts.

As it happened, on an emotional day in the Steel City (the NFL's Steelers would play across town six hours later for a berth in the Super Bowl), the Penguins were thoroughly dominant against New York, winning 3-0 in a game that could easily have finished 7-0 if not for the outstanding goaltending of one Henrik Lundqvist.

Tonight, the Carolina Hurricanes swing into the old barn on the Lower Hill just one point behind the Penguins and the Florida Panthers for the final playoff spot in the East. One can expect an all-out effort from both clubs as the All-Star break looms immediately following the contest.

When a team finds itself in the bottom half of its conference in mid-January, every game becomes a big game. In effect, the playoffs have already begun for teams such as the Penguins, Hurricanes, Panthers, and Buffalo Sabres.

It's a reality that must be embraced as a worthy challenge, not lamented as an unfortunate situation. The only extended break in the 82-game slate is awaiting just beyond tonight's action.

They'll need the rest for the sprint to the finish.

Alex the Grating: Ovechkin Needs To Act Like the Superstar He Is

Matt Gajtka — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:41:49 -0500

Alex Ovechkin crafted a dominant performance in a pivotal game last night at Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, helping his Washington Capitals to a slump-breaking 6-3 decision over the Penguins. His energy, physicality and irrepressible talent were on display, showing why many around the sport of hockey are deeming him the Best Player in the World.

Ovechkin's raw human magnetism is strong enough to draw in the elusive casual fan, plus his unique combination of skills is intriguing to hockey fans of any tenure.

Essentially, the man has everything going for him.

Everything, it seems, except a modicum of self-control.

In the interest of full disclosure, I admit that I am an avid follower of the Penguins for more than a decade. Thus, I have an interest in Sidney Crosby proving that the Calder Trophy voters of 2006 got it wrong when they handed Ovechkin the prize for the NHL's top first-year player.

I am also emotionally invested in the Penguins staying on the top of the Eastern Conference food chain for the next decade, and from my perspective, the Capitals are the biggest threat to that outcome.

On the other hand, I am also a fan of the great game of hockey first and foremost. I have a true weakness for pure goal-scorers like Ovechkin, probably because that's the type of player I'd want to be if I were fortunate enough to play in the Show.

In all of sports, nothing compares to the moment when puck hits twine, and the gentlemen who have the ability to make that magic happen will always be held in high personal regard.

Keeping all this in mind, it still bothers me when a player of Ovechkin's statue resorts to the kind of disrespectful behavior that he engaged in early in last night's third period.

Upon pumping home the goal that gave Washington its first lead of the game, the 23-year-old Muscovite launched into his usual explosive goal celebration, something that I have no qualms with. I'm all for the expression of joy; that's what scoring is all about.

But when Alex skated by the Penguins bench and taunted the opposition at a decibel level high enough for FSN Pittsburgh's on-ice mics to pick up, my feeling of respect for the superstar wing faded to a blip.

Hockey boasts an honorable tradition of great players who compete hard, yet exude class and dignity. Especially when the cameras are on, sportsmanship should be a priority.

I'm not advocating for the elimination of personality from the sport. On the contrary, I think the outward and inward diversity of NHLers should be emphasized more than ever in this era of media-ready cliches and bulky padding and helmets that make the players look more like robots than human beings.

At the same time, the principles that built the game shouldn't be tossed aside for the sake of shameless attention-seeking. Ovechkin does a lot of things right, but his appearing to have a lack of respect for his opponents has the potential to undermine his undeniable talents. And that wouldn't be good for Alex or the NHL.

Once again, Ovechkin is a tremendous competitor, the epitome of a modern hockey player. He is leading the Capitals to places the franchise has never been while boosting the Q-rating of a league that desperately needs it.

I'll leave it up to public opinion whether he has passed Crosby and teammate Evgeni Malkin for the title of the NHL's most outstanding player, but it is still quite certain that Alex Ovechkin still has much to learn about how to conduct himself.

Embracing the Trap: Penguins Clog Neutral Zone, Stymie Flyers

Matt Gajtka — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:31:51 -0500

The Pittsburgh Penguins have a reputation for offense, and it's hard to argue why.

When the alumni Rolodex includes such prolific point-producers as Jean Pronovost, Pierre Larouche, Mark Recchi, Ron Francis, Paul Coffey, Kevin Stevens, Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, Jaromir Jagr and, oh yeah, Mario Lemieux, that kind of label is understandable.

Add the current top two scorers in the NHL, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, and you have an identity that is sure to last well into the next decade.

However, what most hockey fans don't know is the crucial role that the neutral-zone trap played in helping the Penguins achieve one of the franchise's greatest successes, winning the 1992 Stanley Cup.

In the first round of the '92 playoffs, defending Cup champion Pittsburgh employed a 1-2-2 passive forechecking strategy to spark a rebound from a 3-1 series deficit to the Washington Capitals. After dispatching the Caps with help from the trap, the Penguins went 12-2 the rest of the way to claim their second consecutive NHL title.

Last night in Philadelphia, this year's edition of the Penguins, losers of eight of its past 10 games prior to Tuesday's contest, put together what could have been the club's best collective effort of the season in frustrating the Atlantic-leading Flyers by a score of 4-2.

Afforded the luxury of two days off by the schedule maker, the Penguins' coaching staff elected to employ the passive scheme popularized by the Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s and proliferated by the 1995 New Jersey Devils.

While the trap has been derided as anything from boring to an abomination, it has consistently produced good results, especially on teams that have enough offensive talent to take advantage of the turnovers the system traditionally produces.

After the much-needed post-lockout crackdown on obstruction infractions, the trap has been somewhat swept under the carpet, even though there are still more teams that rely upon it than ones that don't. Considering the Penguins' rousing success with it last night, perhaps we can add one more club to the trap's side of the ledger.

The Penguins have been searching for an antidote to their porous defense of late, and focusing on a specific positional strategy seemed to unite them to a degree not seen in nearly two months. In fact, last night's game was eerily reminiscent of last spring's playoff run, during which the Pens played extraordinarily well in their own end and used a dangerous transition attack to keep opponents cautious.

As a result of the smothering defense, the Penguins were able to hold onto the puck for long periods deep in the Flyers' zone through a resurrected cycle game. Solid positional play seemed to inspire confidence in the team, leading to increased awareness and patience on the offensive side of things.

The first line of Crosby, Malkin, and grinder Matt Cooke personified the Penguins' transformation. Sid picked the pocket of Philadelphia's Mike Richards to set up Malkin's second-period goal that gave Pittsburgh the lead; late in the same frame, with the Flyers chasing the puck, Crosby hooked a pass in front for Cooke, who buried it for a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Throw in a goal by third-liner Tyler Kennedy off a scramble in front and a brilliant transition score by Jordan Staal, and the Penguins had their most satisfying victory in months. Who says the trap is mind-numbing?

With everyone buying into the system and the sublime talents of Crosby and Malkin, clogging the neutral zone never looked so good.

Next up tonight is a home clash with Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Semin. and the Capitals. With back-to-back wins against division leaders (and rivals) now within reach, don't be surprised if the Penguins keep the 1992 nostalgia alive by setting another trap for Washington.

Why Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin Should Be Linemates (For Now)

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:01:05 -0500

As the national economy began to trend significantly downward in the fall, much was made about how many people would be reducing excessive spending and learning to live more frugally. Now that the recession has deepened, nearly everyone in the middle class and below is in coupon-cutting mode.

With the Pittsburgh Penguins experiencing lean times of their own, a conclusion must be made: playing centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on separate lines is a luxury that can no longer be afforded.

Since Petr Sykora (16 goals) is the only healthy Penguins forward who has shown a consistent ability to produce while playing with either of the Penguins' "Mega Powers," the only current viable option for head coach Michel Therrien is to play Malkin and Crosby together.

The maligned Therrien had previously in the past two-and-a-half seasons tried to keep Evgeni and Sidney apart unless the team either needed a spark or was trailing in the late stages of a given game. The oft-repeating reasoning behind the reluctance to join the two stars was the importance of depth; in other words, the Penguins preferred to try for a pair of No. 1 lines rather than one supercharged top trio.

Well, with Pittsburgh having fallen out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, there is no more time to wait for the likes of Tyler Kennedy, Pascal Dupuis and Miroslav Satan to start pounding in the goals. When a team has just one win in its past eight games and two in its past ten, proactive measures are required.

While Penguins fans—and perhaps some players—are expecting general manager Ray Shero to make a significant move, whether it be a coaching change or a trade, to disrupt the status quo, uniting "Geno" and Sid is the easiest and quickest way to get improved results.

Saturday afternoon in Denver, Therrien elected to go nuclear, sending Nos. 87 and 71 out together for the opening faceoff and routinely double-shifting them as the game's rhythms dictated. The revamped top line yielded immediate dividends as each set up a goal for the other in the Penguins' 5-3 loss to the Avalanche.

Unfortunately, as the final score indicates, there are other problems in Penguinland besides a recent scoring funk. Pittsburgh is one of only six teams in the NHL to be surrendering more than three goals per game, a lowly spot that owes itself somewhat to a .898 save percentage, good for 24th in the league. The Penguins are also dead last in shots per game with 27.3.

There is much to fix in Pittsburgh in the second half of the season, but while the club has a bit of an uphill grade to overcome on the way to a third-straight playoff berth, keeping Crosby and Malkin together is logically the first step to take.

With the contracturally-extended Jordan Staal scooted up into the second-line center slot, the Penguins are arguably still the envy of two-thirds of the league as far as the top-six forwards are concerned.

Even if it is only a matter of time until the guillotine drops on someone, the combined magic of two of the NHL's top three scorers can be enough to at least nudge the Penguins back into the bottom fringe of the East's playoff field. From there the margin of error will be reduced for whichever new coaches or players are brought in to boost the team's fortunes, if Shero chooses to travel that route.

Either way, the times are tight and sacrifices, like giving up on the idea of a pair of dominant lines, must be made.

More Than a Slump: Why the Pittsburgh Penguins May Be Showing Their True Colors

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 15:03:43 -0500

Whether referred to as a slump, slide, skein, tailspin, or speed bump, most National Hockey League teams endure at least one during the course of an 82-game season.

It is believed the good teams should be able to persevere through the low points, learn from them, and move on as a better hockey club.

But what if the perceived slump is really an accurate reflection on a team's true quality? What if, instead of a needed call-to-arms, a stretch of poor play is merely a symptom of some deep malignancy threatening to sabotage an entire year's work?

These are the unpleasant questions facing the Pittsburgh Penguins after they extended their downward trend with a disheartening come-from-ahead 5-3 loss in Nashville Thursday night. The defeat pushed Pittsburgh below Florida into a previously unfathomable 10th position in the Eastern Conference on the merits of a 6-12-1 record since Dec. 3.

In the opening weeks of the season, this appeared to be the Year of the Penguin (apologies to the traditional Chinese calendar), a season in which a burgeoning Pittsburgh powerhouse would sustain a high level of play for the balance of the schedule, earn a high seed for the playoffs and attempt to top last spring's surprise run to within an inch of a Stanley Cup Final Game Seven.

A quick glance at the first quarter of the season shows a team ostensibly riding high with a 13-5-3 record, including a six-game winning streak and without a regulation loss in eight straight.

Upon closer inspection, though, many of those early-season successes acted as cover-up for unsightly blemishes.

For instance, an improbable nine of the 13 wins were of the come-from-behind variety. Of course, it is surely a promising sign when a club shows the ability to right itself after an early deficit, but depending on a late rally on a regular basis is obviously not an ideal strategy.

Furthermore, even some of the "routine" wins were anything but. A 2-0 lead over the rival Flyers Oct. 14 turned into a 2-2 overtime tie before Pascal Dupuis bailed the Pens out with a game-winner. On Nov. 6, Pittsburgh netted the first five goals of the game, only to watch Edmonton storm back with four straight, eventually forcing Marc-Andre Fleury to make a tough save at the horn to prevent overtime.

It's easy to forget, but Nashville wasn't the first team to rally from three goals down to beat the Penguins this year. That honor belongs to the Washington Capitals, who stormed to a 4-3 stunner Oct. 16 at Mellon Arena after surrendering the first three tallies.

So, despite impressive results at the season's quarter pole, perhaps Penguins followers shouldn't be too surprised to see the losses mounting and rumors spreading about potential changes to player personnel and the coaching staff.

Embarrassing home losses to Toronto, Tampa Bay and Florida by a combined score of 15-4 have simply removed the Joker-like faux-smile painted on by the quick rush to the top of the standings. Only the scars remain.

The 2008-2009 season's second act has just begun. Penguins third-year general manager Ray Shero faces his stiffest challenge yet: turning around a star-laden production now playing to poor reviews.

As usual, the critics are lurking, waiting to see if the unexpected flop continues. A playoff encore seems distant, yet reachable if the right moves (or non-moves) are made.

Forty games left until the curtain drops.

What The Pittsburgh Penguins Have to Do to Make the Playoffs

Matt Gajtka — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:23:55 -0500

Last year, the Boston Bruins earned the Eastern Conference's final playoff berth with a 41-29-12 record, good for 94 points. This season, in the wake of a month-long swoon that has them entrenched in ninth place, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have to garner 50 points in their final 41 games in order to match the 2007-08 Bruins' final total.

Some commentators, such as James Mirtle of the excellent blog "From the Rink," are estimating that 90 or 91 points will lock up a post-season appearance, but for the sake of this piece, I will assume that 94 will absolutely guarantee an eighth-place finish.

According to my target, the Penguins need to go at least 25-16-0 (or an equivalent record yielding the same amount of standings points) in the second half of the NHL regular season.

After last night's much-needed 3-1 home victory over Atlanta, Pittsburgh has 21 of its remaining 41 games on Mellon Arena ice, highlighted by an eight-game homestand from mid-March through early April. The Penguins also still have 11 of their 18 scheduled match-ups with Western Conference foes in front of them, including two with nearby Columbus, whom the Pens haven't faced since the fall of 2006.

More importantly, 22 of the remaining games will be against teams presently holding playoff position, featuring back-to-back home contests against the twin juggernauts of the West, San Jose and Detroit. Pittsburgh fell to the Sharks on the road 2-1 two weeks before memorably toppling the Red Wings 7-6 in overtime at Joe Louis Arena Nov. 11.

Twenty-two games against "half-season" playoff teams seems about right, considering that just over half of the NHL's member clubs (16 of 30) will ultimately qualify for the Stanley Cup tournament. However, when it comes to facing those hungry teams in ninth place or lower who still have realistic hopes, the Penguins are actually quite fortunate to be in the East, where only the Panthers and the Maple Leafs are within seven points of the No. 8 spot.

Conversely, in the West, only the St. Louis Blues are truly out of the race, since they are 10 points behind eighth-place Phoenix, and have six teams between them and the Coyotes.

As a result of being in the less-competitive East, Pittsburgh will play seven games against the conference's weak sisters: Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Ottawa, and the Islanders.

In an admittedly rudimentary attempt to figure out a second-half road map to the playoffs, I employed a formula that operates on the assumption that the Penguins can be expected to pick up at least 1.5 points per game against teams that are out of the running, one point each time they face one of the aforementioned "hungry" clubs that are within hailing distance (seven points) of playoff positioning, and 0.5 points per contest against each conference's top eight.

Using this Least Expected Points system, I arrived at the following results: the Penguins can be projected to earn at least 11 points in their 22 remaining match-ups with the top eight, 11 in the 11 games pitting them against teams still in contention, and 12 points in the eight tilts versus the bottom feeders.

Combine those three sums and we arrive at 44 LEP, coincidentally the exact same result of the disappointing first half of the schedule.

I think we can agree that 44 points was about the lowest total the Penguins could have been expected to accrue through the first 41 games, so if we project that the least amount of points the team will earn in the second half to also be 44, we can assume that there will be a mere six stray points that need to be earned in order to ensure springtime hockey in Pittsburgh.

If the equivalent of three extra victories is all that is needed in 41 games, suddenly the task seems more realistically achievable than a few moments before.

Of course, if the Penguins quickly get back on the 100-plus point pace they were riding through the first two months of the season, making a run at consecutive Atlantic Division titles will become a more worthy goal than simply squeaking into the playoffs.

After all, the Penguins are only seven points back of the division-leading Flyers with three games left against their arch rivals.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Plight Of The Pittsburgh Penguins: A Tough Month for Defending East Champs

Matt Gajtka — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 07:58:23 -0500

Approximately halfway through the National Hockey League's regular season, the expected contenders in the Eastern Conference have begun to ensconce themselves in playoff position.

Montreal, Washington, Philadelphia, and the New York Rangers are all in sixth place or better in the East, to no one's surprise. All four of those squads played post-season hockey last spring, and most around the game thought their prospects were just as good—or better—for the 2009 playoffs.

But wait, where are the defending East champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who were threatening to move into the conference's top spot after finishing November with a 14-6-3 record?

Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, and company sit in ninth place (42 points) leading up to Monday's divisional dance with the Rangers in New York.

It is strangely coincidental that Pittsburgh takes the Madison Square Garden ice tonight to try to put an end to an extended stretch of poor play that arguably began during the team's previous visit to the World's Most Famous Arena.

The Penguins played their first game of December on the third day of the month and held a 2-0 lead halfway through the contest on Broadway. With Pittsburgh holding a 2-1 edge in the waning moments of the third period, Petr Prucha nailed the equalizer, helping transform the game into a 3-2 shootout win for the Rangers.

Including that squandered Dec. 3 standings point, Pittsburgh has posted a 5-10-1 record in the past month, collecting only 11 of a possible 32 points during that span. After racing out to the franchise's best start in more than a decade, the Penguins are now faced with the prospect of repeating the torrid second-half surge they've relied upon the last two seasons.

What appeared to be a short slide in the middle of December has turned into a legitimate season-threatening slump in recent weeks, tracing back to an embarrassing 7-3 home defeat at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada on Dec. 20.

Leading into that pivotal night, the Penguins were looking like a return to form was imminent, with franchise goaltender Fleury back in the crease after a prolonged groin injury; spurred on by a superior effort from its goalie, Pittsburgh had blitzed Atlanta 6-3 just two nights before.

The trouncing administered by the Leafs effectively revealed just about all that has plagued the Penguins of late: spotty goaltending (Fleury let in a pair of soft goals early), impotent special teams (Pittsburgh surrendered three PPGs and scored one meaningless late goal in five man-advantage chances) and a lack of production from 21-year-old captain Crosby (zero points and just one shot).

That putrid formula has repeated itself more often than not since then, producing three more sobering losses at Mellon Arena and more moral victories—close losses to Montreal and Boston—than actual ones.

What has made this standings freefall even more vexing is the team's inability to put forth a strong effort in more than one category. For example, Fleury played quite well during the week of Christmas, surrendering eight goals in four games, only to watch his powerful offense produce just seven as the team went 2-2.

It is difficult to be consistently successful in the NHL without either a dangerous power play or a stifling penalty kill, and a large part of performing well in specialty situations is winning faceoffs. The Penguins lost crack draw man Mike Zigomanis to an undisclosed upper-body injury during the Dec. 3 loss (coincidence?), leaving a below-average faceoff squad without its clutch puck-possession catalyst.

Less easily explainable is Crosby's scoring swoon. The club's superstar centerman has looked no better than average over the last 16 games, curiously occurring on the heels of his spectacular hat trick against the Devils on Nov. 29. Is he hiding an injury? The NHL's king of making no excuses will likely never say publicly if a physical ailment is holding him back.

On a positive note, Crosby still ranks third in the league in scoring with 50 points (15 goals plus 35 assists trails only teammate Malkin and Alex Ovechkin), despite coming up scoreless in five of the Penguins' last eight games, probably the worst stretch of his transcendent four-year career. Make no mistake, though, the Pens need No. 87 to be his usual 1.5-points-per-game self in order to truly be considered a Stanley Cup contender.

Somewhere along the way to the current group's best regular season yet, the Penguins have run into a significant barrier, raising real doubt about the team's credentials for the first time in more than a year. As it stands now, Pittsburgh is only a single point out of the East playoff field, but expectations and early-season success dictate that ninth place is a real disappointment.

Beginning this evening in the Big Apple, the Penguins have a chance to respond to their detractors and pull off a third consecutive second-half rally. What better place to start another surge than the site where the snowball first began to roll downhill?

Top Five Missing Pieces for the Pittsburgh Penguins

Matt Gajtka — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 09:52:12 -0500

Last year, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Ray Shero landed Marian Hossa in a trade deadline deal in an attempt to add a winger with a finishing touch. Hossa was plugged in on Sidney Crosby's wing and helped the team to within two victories of the Stanley Cup. This season, the Pens are again searching for someone to step up as a scorer to complement the sublime all-around play of centers Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Submitted for your approval, the top five wingers on my wish list for the second half of the season.

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Returning Marc-Andre Fleury to Give Pittsburgh Penguins a Boost

Matt Gajtka — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:04:57 -0500

Through 30 games, the defending Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins stand at 16-10-4, just a few points behind the Rangers for first place in the Atlantic Division and in fairly solid playoff position with about two-thirds of the schedule remaining.

Yet the question on the minds of many who cover and follow the team persists: Why haven’t the Pens separated themselves from their East brethren?

The possible answers—or excuses, if you are head coach Michel “Iron Mike” Therrien—are readily available.

A) There hasn’t been enough offensive contribution from forwards not named Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

B) A plague of injuries has crippled their defensive corps, whether referring to the long-term absences of elite puck-moving D-men Sergei Gonchar (out for several more weeks) and Ryan Whitney (hoping for a pre-Christmas return), or the recent loss of the rangy, rugged Hal Gill.

C) The club remains one of the youngest in the National Hockey League, and as conventional wisdom suggests, youthful players tend to be inconsistent.

One potential tipping point left relatively unexplored is goaltending, and more specifically, the month-long convalescence of Marc-Andre Fleury from what the Penguins have deemed a “lower body injury.” Unconfirmed media reports have pinpointed the ailment as a groin strain, although it’s anyone’s guess which leg it affects (thank you, NHL general managers, for voting to institute the maddening new injury revelation policy that keeps us in the dark).

Lest we forget, Fleury’s performance in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs was a key factor in the Penguins’ unforeseeable blitz through the Senators, Rangers and Flyers en route to a six-game defeat at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, the modern version of the Red Army.

Statistically, the man known to his teammates as “Flower” put together one of the better two months between the pipes in recent history. How does a 14-6 record, 1.97 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and three shutouts sound? With apologies to Crosby and Marian Hossa, it sounds a lot like a Conn Smythe winner if the Penguins had claimed the chalice.

Prior to the injury incurred near the end of a 5-2 home win against Buffalo Nov. 15, the numbers that were so kind to Fleury in the spring screamed autumnal mediocrity. Sure, his 8-3-2 record thus far this campaign looks solid, but a .907 SV% and a 2.86 GAA rank him 23rd and 26th in the NHL, respectively.

By comparison, Fleury’s backups match up favorably. Dany Sabourin, last year’s third-stringer behind current Red Wing Ty Conklin, has played 15 games, surrendering only 2.47 goals per 60 minutes (13th in the NHL) and stopping just over 91 percent of the shots fired his way, good for 21st among his peers. Rookie John Curry has also acquitted himself well, earning his first two NHL victories in three appearances.

However, despite seemingly better goaltending, the Penguins have fallen from a season-high five games over .500 at 11-4-2 (overtime losses counted) on the morning of Nov. 16 to their current position on the merits of a lackluster 5-6-2 run. In order to explain this lull, we must venture from concrete stats into the realm of the intangible.

First, let’s step back and explore the scope of Fleury’s NHL career. The No. 1 overall selection in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft played 21 games as a 19- and 20-year-old for the Pens during the 2003-04 season, the squad that finished last in the league. He was hung out to dry nightly by one of the worst Pittsburgh teams in franchise history and sent back to his junior team to spare him further bombardment.

After benefiting from a year with Wilkes-Barre of the American Hockey League during the lockout, Fleury has shown consistent improvement that has eerily mirrored the evolution of the Penguins from league laughingstock to current holders of the Prince of Wales Trophy.

As one of the three longest-tenured members of the Black and Gold (defensemen Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi also played in the pre-lockout days), Fleury has the respect of the locker room, and more importantly, he has earned the team’s confidence.

He was in net for the Penguins’ unquestioned biggest triumph of the young season, a 7-6 comeback victory over Detroit at Joe Louis Arena Nov. 11. Down 5-2 and 6-4 in the third period against the team that demoralized and frustrated them in the Cup final, the Pens played with a freedom that has been elusive ever since Fleury hit the trainer’s table.

With Sabourin or Curry in net, the Penguins have often had the look of a team consciously trying to protect its goalie, rather than a self-assured squad playing instinctively. The numbers bear out this difference: Pittsburgh has allowed about four fewer shots per game with the backups on the ice. While it’s great that the team has locked down defensively, offensive talent is more potent with an unfettered mentality.

In a recent interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, none other than the captain and face of the franchise gave Fleury an endorsement just as substantial as the one described above.

“It’s big,” Sidney Crosby said when asked about Fleury’s return to the lineup. “Obviously, it would be nice to get him back. He’s our starting goalie.”

Slated to get the start in Atlanta Thursday night, Marc-Andre Fleury can be expected to play a large role in pushing the Penguins back onto the perch they claimed last spring.