Tampa Bay Forces Game Seven And The Pens’ Power Play Is Already 0-For-2 In It

Sometimes I have the tendency to be particularly verbose in my postgame recaps, mostly because right after Penguin games, I’m scrambling to crystallize my own thoughts on the game while simultaneously also conveying those half-thoughts and using my spare hand to respond to angry dad-texts. As an example of this verboseness (verbosity? Virtubosity with Denzel Washington?), I’m already rambling in this intro paragraph that I started with the intention to convey that for once, in my Recap of Pens/Lightning Game 6, I actually wouldn’t have to ramble on forever, because it was an exceedingly simple loss to analyze.

Now that I’ve wasted all this time describing how little time I’d have to waste before summarizing this game, let’s summarize this game in two easily digestible Dairy Queen Mini-sized fail desserts:

- Penguins Power Play goes 0-for-5, plus a (very) missed Penalty Shot.

- Fleury gives up 4 goals on 21 shots (Dwayne Roloson stops 27 of 29).

There ya go. Pretty much a perfect storyboard for a movie about this Penguin team losing a game, which would be a really boring idea for a movie for a number of reasons (though they could bill it as a Miracle reboot and call it Plausible?)

Penguins 5, Senators 2: Penguins Stick It To JUDAS Gonchar

Has a player ever left the Penguins on more amicable terms than Sergei Gonchar? He and the Penguins mutually agreed to part ways after five productive seasons and a Stanley Cup, then he signed with a conference nonrival for an excellent salary, and the Penguins welcomed him back with a highlight reel at Consol, a standing ovation from the fans, and Penguin players tapping their sticks on their boards. I was half expecting Matt Cooke to line Gonchar up for a blind-side hit, then at the last second yell “SURPRISE!” and flip lights on and the rest of the Penguins would all be gathered in the conference room with party hats and a “55″ cake and everyone would hug and Gonchar would give an awkward thirty second speech then they’d eat and slowly disperse back to work.

That didn’t exactly happen. What did happen, though, was a third straight Penguins victory, keyed off a 3-0 Penguin lead after a wide-open First Period. The Pens managed 17 shots in the First and allowed 12, but still emerged up three goals after a slick Mike Comrie feed to Mark Letestu for his team-leading fourth goal, a bubble hockey-esque bounce off the end boards that Crosby hand-eye-coordinated behind Brian Elliot, and a faceoff that Ottawa cleanly won in their own defensive zone that they couldn’t corral, ended up on net, and was knocked in on the rebound by a fully outstretched diving Malkin.

Blackhawks 2, Penguins 1 (OT): Pens Salvage A Point From Antti Niemi’s Highlight Reel DVD

Pierre LeBrun has the Blackhawks at #1 on his latest NHL Power Rankings, along with the justification:

Statement win in Pittsburgh on Saturday night, and wouldn’t that be a dandy of a Stanley Cup finals matchup?

By “Statement Win,” I assume LeBrun means, “Barely pulled-off overtime win against team missing the hottest player in the NHL thanks to ridiculous performance by backup goalie?”

The Penguins (who LeBrun ranks 6th, incidentally) dominated the second period and most of the third against the Blackhawks, but after Antti Niemi’s pad save on the Letestu-to-Gonchar one-timer in the final minute of the second, it was clear this game was gonna be one of those “The other team’s goalie is playing out of his mind and sometimes there’s nothing you can do about that” games.

Even if the Pens had lost in regulation, I wouldn’t have been discouraged by their performance against Chicago — every team loses a handful of games a year to a crazy opposing goalie performance, and like a baseball team getting shut out by Roy Halladay on a great night, you just kind of have to accept it — but the Pens still tied the game in the final minute to salvage a point, and they were missing the hottest player in the NHL and likely Art Ross trophy winner, Chris Kunitz. If the Pens play this exact game against Chicago seven times — even without taking into account their missing players — they win five of them. Getting the point in the final minute was gravy.

Mark Letestu played probably the most impressive single game by any of the Pens’ many AHL callups this season, setting up numerous scoring chances and cleanly winning the faceoff that led to the game-tying goal. I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Pens continue to give Letestu a chance over these next few weeks, even if Crosby and Kunitz come back; his offensive performance and random faceoff prowess made him instantly more valuable than Craig Adams and Eric Godard have been for the majority of the year, and certainly worth at least rotating him in as the go-to 13th forward in case of injury or the need to healthy scratch anyone.

I was also highly amused by the Mellon Arena fans’ reluctant on-and-off booing of Marian Hossa; it was clear that fans recognized a conscious obligation to boo him when he had the puck, but now that the Pens already got the ultimate revenge on Hossa in last year’s Cup Finals (and the fact that he now plays for the Red Wings’ archrival), the booing is so half-assed. If you’re keeping track at home, Hossa’s goal now gives him one in the last eight games against the Penguins. Dang.

Kunitz To Miss Two Weeks With “Playing For ’09 Penguins”

Yayyy, Malkin’s coming back! Aaaaaand Chris Kunitz is hurt:

The Penguins’ Chris Kunitz will be out about two weeks — beginning tonight against Boston at Mellon Arena — for what coach Dan Bylsma called a lower-body injury that has been plaguing the left winger for some time….

Malkin is expected to shift to winger and play on a line with Sidney Crosby and Ruslan Fedotenko, at least early in the game.

Bylsma also said forward Mark Letestu would make his NHL debut against Boston.

I picture a cartoony scene where Malkin enters the revolving door to the Pens’ dressing room and the door keeps spinning, Kuntiz’s tie gets caught, and it flings him back out of the locker room, keeping the injury numbers the same.

It’s actually kind of funny at this point. Kunitz was playing terribly, and I don’t doubt for a second that he could’ve had a nagging injury, but I gave up being frustrated three injuries ago and now I’m just laughing.

While we’re going for broke, how bout we just give Crosby a spinal issue? And Fleury gets shot in the ass, Joey Porter style. And Mark Letestu just explodes the second his skate touches the ice.

I would knock on wood after making these jokes, but I’m afraid a splinter might break off and fly through Goligoski’s brain.

Malkin To Take 2-3 Week Break

Evgeni Malkin has decided to make the Penguins’ next month of hockey marginally more challenging by sitting out 2-3 weeks with a shoulder injury. In response, the Pens have called up Chris Conner and some dude named Mark Letestu from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

No word yet on precisely how the team plans to compensate for his ice time, but I imagine the Staal-Kennedy-Cooke line will remain intact (when Kennedy returns) and possibly assume the technical moniker as the “#2 Line,” with perhaps Craig Adams centering Fedotenko and Conner on a half-scorey, half-grindy sort of third line. Dupuis could bump Conner in a pinch, but I’m guessing they’re not calling up Conner to have him sit, and Dupuis would be far better suited for a role on a 4th line and occassional PK or random thrown-together-after-powerplay line. Rupp isn’t going anywhere, and Godard, Bourque, and Letestu can rotate in the other roster spots, depending on who gets the most impressive one rush down the side and wrist shot into the opposing goalie’s glove.

Malkin’s spot on the power play will probably be shared by Kennedy and/or Fedotenko, but I’m also guessing we’ll see Conner out there with the man advantage as well. I’m glad the Pens have Conner, too, because he’s exactly the sort of “Just called up from the AHL!” dude who would definitely score against the Penguins in his first game up.

Obviously, with Gonchar out already, this gives the Pens some major ice time to redistribute, but it’s also not even November and there’s no way the Pens aren’t making the playoffs, so as long as it’s not a nagging injury for Malkin, the Pens giving him a little rest and their depth guys some more seasoning probably won’t be a bad thing.

Anyone wanna dare them to try to keep winning with Crosby out too? Cahhhmaaaaaan……

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/emptynetters/archive/2009/10/29/penguins-recall-conner-and-letestu.aspx