Pittsburgh Penguins: 5 Surprises Of The Season So Far
The start of the 2010-2011 NHL season has been a tumultuous but very telling time for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
To say things haven't gone as planned would be an incredible understatement.
After ending the season mid May, the Pens had a long summer to rest and heal up after two previous seasons that saw them in the Stanley Cup Finals. As much as it hurt to watch the Pens close off Mellon Arena with a loss, every fan, deep down, knew the Pens deserved to go no further than they did.
A long summer meant no excuses when the team returned for training camp. Injuries were rested, minds were cleared and the Pens were ready to bounce back from a poor finish of the season.
Definitely not the case.
Starting the season off with an emotional opening ceremony at the Consol Energy Center just wasn't enough and the Pens started the season as sluggishly as they ended the last one. But as quickly as the slow start brought the team down, the Pens came right back up and out of their funk.
The Pens have been on a very interesting eight-game ride, full of moments that have taken everyone by surprise. These surprises have been huge factors in the Pens' interesting start.
So after eight games, here are the five biggest surprises of the season so far:
Laura Falcon is a Featured Columnist for the Pittsburgh Penguins and a college writing intern for Bleacher Report. Follow her on Twitter or email her at lfalcon@mail.umw.edu with any comments.
Honorable Mention: Deryk Engelland
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All that needs to be said about Deryk Engelland is that he's come up big when the Pens have needed him, delivering the bone-crunching hits since heavy hitter Brooks Orpik has been out of the lineup while making smart defensive plays as well.
And who can forget that fight with Colton Orr?
The fight will be the bane of Engelland's existence.
The Power Play...Improves?
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This slide comes with a disclaimer: I do not think the Pens have dominated the man advantage. With that said, they have done a fabulous job making it better considering the miserable state it was in the first four games.
With former Assistant Coach Mike Yeo moving on from the team, many fans felt that the Pens' power play woes were finally over. It took one game into the season to see that not much changed from last season. In fact, many would argue that the power play looked even slower and no where near as desperate as it should have looked.
Thankfully, the Pens woke up from their trances and turned their power play around.
Again, it's nowhere near perfect; they aren't even converting power plays every game. But we've finally seen some flashes of brilliance that show there's some talent on the roster.
Instead of five guys standing around and passing the puck to each other until two minutes are up, there's movement, there are shots attempted that make it on net and there's a significant growth in confidence and momentum following the power play.
The numbers don't lie, the Pens are in 11th place with a 17.8 percent conversion rate. Good, but not great.
However, I point to both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for the recent turn of events. Watch the power play carefully next time and note what Crosby and Malkin are doing. If they're passing too much, so will everyone else, if they're moving a lot, then so is everyone else.
This shows how dependent the power play is on Crosby and Malkin's creativity. If they're feeling it, so will the opposing goalie. The important thing is that they can see what's working and tap into that when necessary.
The Pens Win in New Jersey
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Six times.
That's how many times the Pens played the New Jersey Devils last season and that's how many times the Pens lost against them last season. The Pens were also shut out two of those games as well.
Many people attributed it to Jacques Lemaire's neutral zone trap that frustrated the Pens. Others felt that Devils goalie Marty Brodeur had the Pens' number last season. Either way, the Pens saved their worst games for the red, white and black.
So when the Pens had to play the Devils in the just the third game of the season, things weren't looking too positive, especially since the Pens had yet to win a game. Funny enough, they looked to their backup goalie Brent Johnson to anchor a win in their building.
After losing the previous two at home with Marc-Andre Fleury in net, it was time for a change in scenery.
During the game, the Pens did something they hadn't been able to do the previous season against the Devils: score first.
Defenseman Alex Goligoski netted a powerful slapper at the end of the first and was followed up by a goal at the start of the second from center Mark Letestu.
The Pens managed to hold their lead and win 3-1 and while everyone was excited that the monkey was off the team's back, we couldn't help but smile that the win was against the Devils.
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The Slow Start at Home
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March 12, 2007 was a day that would forever change the history of the Pens.
The deal for the arena was complete. The Pens would get a new and improved home and that home would be right across the street, not across the country.
The anticipation for the building of the Consol Energy Center was palpable throughout the city of Pittsburgh and the NHL. As the building process began, the Pens TV production were there every step of the way from the moment center ice was marked with a wooden stake to final tour when everything was complete.
So on October 7, 2010, when the Consol Energy Center finally opened its doors to the public for the start of the 2010-2011 season against the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers, the whole arena was shaking with excitement and hatred, ready to dominate the Flyers as they have been for the past few seasons.
Only the win never came.
People shrugged it off. "You never win the inaugural first game of a new field/arena/court," I heard multiple times.
But then the Pens lost again two days later against the Montreal Canadiens, the reason why the team had a long summer in the first place.
The fourth game was a charm for the Pens as they took their first win at home against the New York Islanders in overtime, but many people were very shocked that it took the team, notorious for their dominance at home, that long to pull out the W on their home turf.
Brent Johnson Comes Up Big In Net
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Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury closed off the previous season on a less than stellar note. He took the criticisms in stride, but he was bound to have some off games after taking the Pens on his back multiple times in their consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Finals.
However, whether Fleury earned a moment to slip or not, he would need to make amends at the start of the season.
There are different opinions floating around as to how Fleury performed in his first three starts that ended up losses, but in the end, it didn't matter. The team was playing poorly and a change needed to be made.
Enter backup Brent Johnson.
His first start of the season came against New Jersey, a win, following two losses with Fleury in net. Naturally, a few superstitions arose in not only the fans, but I would bet even the players (to an extent).
Johnson played above and beyond expectations in net, winning all four of his starts with a stunning .950 save percentage and 1.49 goals against average. Even bigger than his numbers was the stability and peace of mind he provided between the pipes.
He was making the key saves at the right time, something Fleury struggled with when he played.
Fleury's start in Nashville on Thursday brought a lot of heat from fans who thought Johnson should remain in net until his hot glove cooled down.
The fact that fans have that much faith in their backup not only speaks novels on what he was able to accomplish while starting in net, but that he can be counted on in the future without any hesitations.
Mark Letestu For Calder
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So it's obviously too soon to be speaking about end-of-the-season NHL awards, but the thought is certainly stewing in fan's minds, notably the Pens fans who have been watching Pens rookie Mark Letestu flaunt his skills as if he's been in the NHL for years.
At 5'11" and 195 pounds, Letestu doesn't look or play in a way that is physically intimidating. However, the 25-year-old plays with tremendous spirit that sees him frequently going in front of the net or in the corners to do the dirty work or whatever it takes to score.
On top of being able to fight for the puck in tough spots, Letestu can also rip a mean wrist shot with fantastic accuracy.
I think Ottawa Senators goalie Brian Elliot's ears are still ringing from the 'ting' of the puck hitting the goal post before dropping like lead into the net.
In eight games, Letestu has seven points, good enough to be tied for third on the Pens but leads all rookies in that department. He is also second on the Pens to only Sidney Crosby in goals with four.
To the Pens coaching staff, they must have given a huge sigh of relief after seeing Letestu's success because it was pretty clear that he would not clear waivers if they so chose to send him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Letestu came into the season with very high expectations and so far, he's surpassed all of them with flying colors.
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